James

The 3 booklets note that the first post office was located at Baptist Yard. It seems logical that the town’s first, more primitive post office would have been the location where the towns first telegraph messages were received, (the Victorian equivalent of email or texting.) I can find no reason to believe that the photo is not the Baptist Yard. The following is from ChatGPT. Bedlington’s First Post Office and early Postal Presence in Bedlington · The earliest record of a postal connection for Bedlington shows that in 1834 mail was already being handled for the town via the Morpeth post town. This means Bedlington had recognized mail services in the official British postal system from at least that year, even if there wasn’t yet an independent office building in the town itself Historical timelines compiled by the Six Townships Community History Group, note that a post office with a telegraph system was present by in the Baptist Yard in1858. This suggests that a functioning postal office at least capable of handling mail and telegraph messages existed in the mid-1850s. As the postal system became more organised in the UK, Bedlington’s postal facility was officially incorporated into the national Post Office numbering system. This moved operations from a yard setting into a more formal postal classification. By 1863, Bedlington had its own Railway Sub Office (RSO) designated with the code B75. An RSO was typically a postal facility associated with a railway station or rail mail sorting point, vital during the 19th-century expansion of mail transport via rail. After operating as a Railway Sub Office, the Bedlington postal facility later became an Independent Sub Office in 1905, indicating a more standard and autonomous local post office service. The postal office’s officially identity evolved over the 20th century, sometimes tied to railway-based names as the town and its services shifted: Bedlington Colliery office existed and changed name in the early 20th century. Bedlington Station became a recognised postal identity around 1936 Eventually the Postal Identity was simply “Bedlington”

According to Stephen Martin's booklet about Bedlington, the first Post Office was in the Baptist Yard.

The 1939 census indicates that Adam Gray and his wife, Elizabeth, resided in Toll Cottage. Were they your parents? What year did you move from Toll Cottage?

Old tickets

Stead Lane was once named Puddlers’ Road and at the bottom of the road was a row of terraced houses called Puddlers’ Row. On your certificate of baptism the address is Rose Cottage, Puddlers’ Lane. Puddlers’ Lane doesn’t appear on any of the old maps and I’ve never heard of it but there have been a few postings on this site about Rose Cottage. It is shown in both the 1939 and 1911 census. I don’t have access to the 1921 census, and it may show the Clark family still living there. In the photo, Rose Cottage is the one with the collapsed roof. Directly opposite the cottage, on the other side of the river was the Ironworks so I can see why the Rose Cottage address is shown to be in “Puddlers’ Lane”. The puddler was the person who worked with the molten ore after it was released from the bottom of the blast furnace. From Wikipedia - “The strenuous labour, heat and fumes caused puddlers to have a short life expectancy, with most dying in their thirties.”

I have attached photos of the only ironworks building remaining. The first one was probably taken in the 1950’s and the second one taken about 5 years ago. The building is now completely covered with ivy. I asked an East Bedlington councillor on site a few years ago why they were allowing ivy to cover this important historical building. He replied that once it was covered with ivy, no one will know it is there so the building will not be vandalized. An unusual way to protect historical buildings! I have attached a copy of Chris Bergen’s book on the Ironworks that may be of interest. Old ordinance maps should show the layout of the ironworks. History of Bedlington Ironworks.pdf

Very few changes have been made to the building. In the photo, taken early 1900's, the Gibson family property is the first building on the left.

Until I read this post I didn’t know that the Ironworks (and the wagonway) were owned by the Bedlington Coal Company so I checked Evan Martin’s book "Bedlington Iron & Engine Works" and the photo below is copied from his book. In June 2022 Eggy posted an article stating that the East Bedlington Parish Council were launching a project on “The 1821 waggon way from Willow Bridge to the River Blyth” funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund it would be interesting to know if the project has been completed and if so where the report can be obtained.

Bedlington Station is founded on the Ironworks, Mining and the Railway. Each of these have significant cultural and historical value but it is disappointing so little is done to preserve and maintain this heritage. The first photo below shows the only building remaining of the ironworks that has been there for around 260 years. The openings were bricked up many years ago. The building is still there but almost covered in vegetation. In a couple of years, it will be completely covered and forgotten about. Bedlington ‘A’ Colliery operated for about 130 years and closed in 1971. I don’t see any display, sculpture or even a poster relating to the colliery anywhere. I have attached a photo to show what they have done in Ashington to recognize the importance of mining to that town’s history. The station opened in about 1850 and the superb photo below shows the station in its prime. There are even flower beds on the platform! This is the building they are planning to demolish despite the efforts of the Victorian Society. Instead of looking for ways to preserve the building they look for reasons to knock it down. With the Ironworks building completely covered with vegetation, the existence of the colliery ignored, and the railway station demolished there will be no tangible links of our amazing historical legacy left for future generations.

Barrington was a thriving community of around 800 residents not too long ago and its history is described in detail in Stephen Martin’s booklet “Barrington”. We are left with only one remaining record of the colliery and this is the inscribed tablet above the entrance to what was the Barrington Colliery Institute shown in the photo below. I drove past the old institute recently and stopped to read the inscription and was disappointed to see the company using the property had placed their company’s logo over the inscribed tablet as can be seen in the second photo. The tablet was put there about 130 years ago and is a small but important part of the history of Barrington and could even be included in the Bedlington Heritage Trail. Perhaps the council should consider asking the company to remove the sign and repair any damages to the tablet caused when erecting the board.