Canny lass

I forgot to mention, I couldn't find a Purvis Row in Bebside or Bebside Furnace either.

I think I may have cracked it, Eggy. What we see in that picture, if my search has lead me in the right direction, is: The row to the far left is Brick Row. The row, barely visible except for its chimneys, is Sea View. The row of rooftops almost on the horizon and at right angles to Sea View, is 'Paradise Row'. If you look at any map after 1901 and imagine the view from half way down the Furnace bank, the view above is what you would see. Even the row in front of Sea View is mapped together with the two gable ends of buildings to its fore. However, I now believe that 'Paradise Row' was better known as 'Wood Row'. The name Wood Row does not appear on any maps I've seen but equally, the name 'Paradise Row' does not appear in any census summary books, going back as far as 1871. The name 'Wood Row' appears in the schedules exactly before Sea View - its neighbour.,and has 15 dwellings, as does' Paradise Row' on the maps. As for Brick Row. It first appears in the 1901 census listed between West Row (Bebside) and Sea View (Bebside Furnace), being the first row encountered after the walk from Bebside. The enumerators worked very methodically. It must have been built at some time between 1891 and 1901 and the only building to appear on maps at this time is the row running parallel to Sea View. Interestingly, the enumerator writes in the summary book "Brick Row or New Row, Sea View". The names he gives are in themselves quite revealing. Wood Row, may well have been built of wood, as were the first miner's houses at Netherton. The new row, was given the name Brick Row for obvious reasons and some residents probably called it Sea View as it was on the same road. Many other roads in the Bebside area, Front Street, West Row etc., have housing on both sides - even numbers on one, odd numbers on the other. The adress, however, is the same on both sides. Another interesting find is that the 1901 census summary book lists Sea View nrs. 1-6 and adjoining them we have Stone Row back and Stone Row front. On the 1938 map (I think it was 1938).

Thanks, Eggy. I've seen these articles but they give no information as to the whereabouts of Brick Row. I'm in the process of doing a round of the streets in Bebside and Bebside Furnace on the 1911 census. I've found Brick Row but haven't been able to place it on a map as yet. I'll keep looking. You don't happen to know, which of your yellow stars on the map relates to which street by any chance?

Hi Eggy. Thanks for having a look at this. I haven't looked at this map but I have looked at http://maps.nls.uk/view/91629905 from 1948 and there the B1330 (Road, Ministry of Transport, class 2 according to the key) goes straight through between the two rows of houses. I've also looked at https://www.old-maps.co.uk/#/Map/420220/582062/10/100708 where it's marked even more clearly with B1330 written exactly between the two rows. Brick Row, I haven't found on any map but I see from a marriage certificate that it existed in 1925.

On old maps there is a 'Paradise Row' running almost parallel to the river. At right angles to this, is another row 'Stone Row'. On later maps and parallel to Stone Row is a third row (the B1330 runs between these two rows). The third row seems to have been built on to at some point, making it the longest and therefore, presumably, housing most families. Does anybody know the name of this row? Brick Row is one suggestion. I know there were at least 14 houses on Brick Row, possibly more. On seeing this list I'm wondering about Purvis Row or Old Gate - both have lots of residents. Also, does anybody know what happened to Paradise Row? It's not on the list from 1940-1952

Thanks for that information, HPW! I, naturally, thought it referred to the pit heap. Mind you, I've always thought a "tippler" was something to do with alcoholic beverages. Just shows how wrong you can be!

Online Bayardm. Ancestry .com's archive. 1911 is a great year as all census documents are archived including the handwritten census forms for every household. The other years it's only the register that's archived.

I may have found it! Having nothing better to do on a sunny day like today I've gone through all 741 pages of the 1911 census for Bedlington, District 2. It started in Netherton Colliery (where I was surprised not to find a Plessey Street but a "2nd Second Street") before moving on to Bedlington and the Mason's Arms Inn. It then took me for a walk up the High Street (as it was called than), down Glebe Road, up and down a great number of side streets and in and out of many yards before arriving at Glebe ROW (not road). This row has been up for discussion before so we know it was on the right hand side of Glebe ROAD heading towards Choppington. The Arcade seems to have been tucked in between Tankerville Yard and Oliver's buildings and had only 7 dwellings. The Arcade may have been a name given to it by the residents as all use this name when filling in the census form. However, the enumerator himself simply calls it "Glebe Row". The census took me on a return journey, from the boundary with Choppington via Glebe Road , along Ridge terrace and back, then down Hartford Road, calling in on all side streets, vicarages and police stations (where there were two prisoners) on the way. It continued as far as the Manse before heading off back down the High Street again to The Sun Inn where it somehow headed off towards Hartford bridge and my journey ended. What a lovely day out! It gave a very different picture from the Bedlington we know today, in terms of housing, work and social conditions. On the one hand we have Hartford House with 32 rooms, inhabited by the mother and one son of the Burdon family together with eight staff (butler included). On the other hand we have the Old Hall, where families of 5 and 6 persons - plus 2 lodgers - are living in 1-2 rooms, or a house in Catholic Row where a mother and her 4 children share their two rooms (one of which is the kitchen) with no less than 3 coalmining lodgers! They must have slept in shifts! There was a diverse array of occupations outside of mining in Bedlington 1911. Everything from bookmakers to candlemakers, scavengers (working for the UDC), hawkers - one of them at the ripe old age of 84 years - and "colliery heap-keepers" who had "heap-lads" to help them. The mind boggles! I met one "chauffeur" on my journey, umpteen stable hands, a farm bailiff, several foresters and a couple of gamekeepers. It must have been very rural in those days. Even more surprising was the number of people living in Bedlington who weren't born anywhere in the vicinity. Among its inhabitants in 1911, almost every county in England and Scotland were represented. It must have been a popular place.

What a shame! Thanks for trying, Maggie.

I'm doubtful that's right BB. It refers to a residence - 3, The Arcade, Glebe Road Bedlington. One of my relatives gives this as his residence in 1938. I also pasted the same info as you into Google and only came up with health centres on Glebe Road and Sanderson's Arcade, Morpeth. Can you post a link to what you found?

My own cat thinks she is human. I can put up with that. It's her thinking that she's related to royalty that I have difficulties with.

Fraid not! The adress is clearly stated as Bedlington. 1938 isn't so long ago. There may be somebody who remembers it.

Does anybody know where 'The Arcade, Glebe Road, Bedlington' was located? It appears on a document from 1938.

That would be great! I'm particularly interested in the Hedley gravestone - my mother's side of the family.

Of course you can never predict how many are going to turn up. They are not going to book a table when they've got 'the staff' so well trained.

Surely it must depend on which coin it is - one euro or one pound! There is also a chance that their pockets are empty if they're sitting in the club all day. (Saving the red ink for Christmas).

I'm impressed too! The best mine can do is knock on the window when she want's to be let in. I would think that was a sign of intelligence if she didn't have a cat flap.

That's more like it!

Happy birthday from me too, Adam. Where are you hiding yourself these days?

Let's keep this out of the sandpit guys. It's not becoming of either of you.

Thanks BB! I'm sure I'll be using that often.

Thanks Vic!

Here's another question for our coal-mining experts. On his death certificate in 1963, the occupation of a deceased mining relative is stated as "Datal Worker (below) Coal Mining".Does anybody know what is meant by 'Datal Worker?

Sorry Webtrekker! it wasn't a comment on the content, more on the presentation of it. I did in fact watch the video (how else would I know that he was telling us about secrecy)? Until I watched that video I thought TTIP was something PG put into small packets for me to pour boiling water on.

How can he/she talk about things being done in secrecy while wearing a mask himself?