Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)

Hi Eggy, Maybe the Kino was a local name for the Plaza, I remember my mom and dad telling us about getting in for a jam jar,sitting on forms and the guy at the front playing the piano.....

Looking up the Theatre Royal I see Stan Laurel worked and played there also Gracie Fields and Charley Chaplin.

Did a bit more searching and Wikipedia suggests:-

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Kino may refer to:-

In film and theatre: (from both the German and the Russian spelling of cine for cinema)

Kino (movement), a worldwide group of amateur filmmakers

Kino Flo, a manufacturer of lighting equipment for use in motion pictures.

Kino International, a movie theater in Berlin

Kino International (company), a U.S.-based film distributor specialising in World cinema and arthouse films

Kino-Pravda ("Film Truth"), a newsreel series by Dziga Vertov, Elizaveta Svilova, and Mikhail Kaufman

The (usually colloquial) word for a movie or movie theatre in several languages

Can't see me finding anything else unless we find a Newsham local from 50s that knew if there was an association with the Plaza, German or Russian, in the area.

Essoldo, Wallaw, Roxy, Theatre Royal and The Central were all cinema's in Blyth, there was another cinema at Newsham, I think it was the Kinno!

The Theater Royal was used as a theater more than a cinema, Plays, pantomimes, even circuses, almost all of the famous actors and actresses played there, Else Tanner and Ena Sharples were two of the more modern era actresses.

"Danny Long Legs†was the opening movie at the Roxy Cinema, must have been late 50's

I'm Learning again. Never heard of the cinema at Newsham, but probably never went to Newsham until the pub, The Seahorse, opened in the late 60's with the fish tanks in the floor and walls, and never left the pub in the light.

There is a site http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/BlythTheatres/BlythTheatres.htm and that has info on all the theaters that were in Blyth. It also has a link for Cinemas and it gives the original Newsham cinema as The Plaza :-

There have been four Cinemas operating in Blyth over the years, The Wallaw, The Central, The Roxy, and The Essoldo. Most closed in the 60s and 70s but the Wallaw Cinema didn't close until 2004 and is today a Wetherspoon's Pub and restaurant. I am told that Wetherspoon's have done a very sympathetic job and preserved the classic art deco interior. There was also a cinema called the Plaza in Newsham, a part of Blyth, which is apparently still standing and is now in use as the Temple of Yaweh. There are details of the Wallaw and Central Cinemas on the Cinema Treasures website here.

So that cinema is now a religious organisation :- Venue: The Congregation of Yahweh Address: 8 Cramlington Terrace • Off Newcastle Road • Newsham • Blyth • Northumberland • NE24 4AQ 

Film release in 1955 - Daddy Long Legs  Fred Astaire - Musical comedy :- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04M9M9yaNG8

What a memory Vic.

Maybe at different times they moved the box office!

There was another cinema so that could be where the memory becomes vague.

Canny Lass can you remember writing off for information on industry in geography!

I got a little carried away applying for tickets for Tyne Tees TV.

These provided a cheap trip out to see characters like Helen Shapiro , Bobby Vee.

Googling says there were 4 cinemas in Blyth. I remember the one just off the market square, as you face west, called the Central. The Essoldo I can't recall at all. The Roxy I never new as a cinema, just as a ballroom (competior of The Clayton, in many ways ) but I never went there, too scared.

I seem to remember the stairs being on the right - with the box office in the centre. But I thought the left-hand door just led to the 'downstairs' part. On the far left was the sweet's kiosk - I think.

 

My personal movie memories recall Tarzan and the Great River. (1971) A stirring tale of the famous Ape-man's adventures up the Amazon River. Rememberable for the scene where two lions started fighting...Lions in the Amazon!!! But on the same bill was Blue Water, White Death (1971) An amazing documentary about the Great White Shark - four years before Jaws. It was supposed to be the 'B' movie leading up to the main feature - but everyone was talking about that and not the Tarzan film.

 

Good and bad memories of that place.

Definitely stairs either side but could not be positive about the ticket office/box.

All I can do Maggie is add to the troubled memory. Was the ticket office not in the middle as you walked up the first few steps of the entrance. There was the stairs either side of the entrance for those who could afford the 'Upper Circle'.

You had too much money young lady, Blyth, Whitley Bay. You must have had two paper rounds!

Didn't go to Blyth pictures allot, Tuesday matinee for 6d at the Bedlington Station Wallaw or Dan Dare and Three Stoogies on a Saturday (can't remember the admission charge).

The Tuesday matinee, was that originally for pensioners and shift workers?

Something I never new, until today when I Googled The Wallaw, was why they were called The Wallaw -  "The Wallaw Theatre opened in mid-1937. It was part of a small independent Wallaw Circuit owned and operated by Walter Lawson (WALterLAWson) who had been operating cinemas since April 1914".

Think the last film I saw there was when I tried to go incognito in with youngest child aged 4, about 1984, to see Jungle Book. Came out dancing and singing 'The Bear Necessities' (will come to you.........).

There is a small book available on the history of Plessey - mother got it from one of the libraries around here and perhaps the shop at the park would have it - that had some information on the windmill, although not a great deal. It's still an interesting read. Apparently it's quite a rare construction as, unlike traditional windmills, its walls are vertical, rather than tapering.

Thanks Mercury. Could be tempted to buy but as you say, and what I have found over the last  couple of days, not a lot of info - apart from the 'vertical walls', 'Matthew White' and '1749'. 

At a family funeral the normal 'tales from the past' brought up a rumour of the windmill at Plessey having been built by a distant relative – Henderson; Stonemason; Bentinck, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Seeing photos of some local sites, including the windmill, posted by a new member to this site -'Brillo' – reminded me of the rumours so I did some' Googling' and found a path starting with Wikipedia and ending up on the English Heritage site.

There is not enough info on the stone mason that built the windmill to link to my relatives to it's construction.

If anyone has any info or rumours on this windmill then please post them and I will see what I can find out. 

The path I took to get info was:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_windmills_in_the_United_Kingdom#Northumberland

Northumberland

Plessey

Plessey Mill
NZ 238 789

Tower

1749^[68]

Windmill World

Clicking on the [68] gave a ling to

[68]"OLD WINDMILL 700 METRES SOUTH WEST OF PLESSEY CHECKS ROUNDABOUT, BLYTH, BLYTH VALLEY, NORTHUMBERLAND". English Heritage. Retrieved 21 May 2009.

Clicking on this link takes you to:-

http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=235986

Click on the link  The National Heritage List for England

And it takes you to:-

http://list.english-heritage.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1041378

and this, FINAL, page on the English Heritage site gives you :-

Details

PLESSEY, Blyth Valley NZ 27 NW NZ 238789 3/22 Old Windmill 700 metres south- West of Plessey Checks roundabout II Windmill tower, dated 1749 with initials M W (Matthew White) on lintel of south door. Good-quality squared stone. Straight-sided round tower without any external division between the 3 floor levels. Chamfered plinth. Opposed doorways on ground floor, 3 small windows on each upper floor; all openings in chamfered surrounds. Interior: 2 plain lst-floor fireplaces, various sockets for floor beams and machinery. 

lol..wonky fabrication cork..is where its at..

Sorted

The Unitarian Chapel stood halfway up the bank on left side facing Bedlington.

It attracted many local noteworthies in its time.

E .g. Sir George Peel and many others.

Why it was pulled down I don't know as it was kept in lovely condition.Demolished in the 70s.

Mercury - with Alan giving that name, Unitartian, some info on the chapel can be traced on the www. There is the Unitartian Historical Society web site - http://www.unitarianhistory.org.uk/ and that has a menu of the data on that site. At the bottom of the front page is a search box and inputting 'choppinton' puts you back into your search engine and gives a link to a pdf document containing limited info, including Choppington, - 

http://www.unitarianhistory.org.uk/Unit%20Cong%20A%20to%20M%20rev%202b%20-%20MR%20amends.pdf

In the Menu is also an 'Images' heading but in the galleries I can't find an image of the Choppington Chapel.

There is also a list of all their chapels that includes the info to backup Alan's memory of it closing in the 70s -Founded and built Front St 1868-1975; Tyne and Wear Archive Services (with Newcastle Divine Unity Church records) 

If you want to try and track down an image of the Choppington Chapel there are a lot of contacts on that site (if you have the time to browse a lot of info) that may be able to help.

Is this a shot in the arm for the Bedlington terrier Guinness World record attempt?

Is Mr Richardson a member of the Bedlington Terrier fb groupand will he and Izzi be doing the record attemp?

Is the Evening Chronical covering the Guinness world record attempt?

Bedlington - Bedlington - Bedlington - here we go.

Wonky - went to track down the welding creations via Wonky Fabrications fb but no joy. One fb page = Wonky Welding -  https://www.facebook.com/wonky.welding.7 but one needs to be a friend to view anything.

The only other possibility was a web site http://www.wonkydonkeyemporium.co.uk/

Are you Wonkeydonkey...... or someone else?

 

What has happened to the Bedlington Terriers (and Lord Bedlington!) I believe they had a few problems and re-organised the club, and were again quite successful.

 

I used to enjoy Saturday mornings getting live Twitter game updates for Newcastle, Blyth and Bedlington.

 

Vic - I was searching for info on the terrier dogs and saw your posting from last December. I may have missed something but your posting does not have any info on The Terriers. As far as I can see the aptly named Bob Rich (or did his wife buy him a title 'Lord' for xmas?) is still involved :- Chairman Ronan Liddane President Bob Rich Vice President Dave Perry - and all the info is on their web site  http://www.bedlingtonterriersfc.com/

I shall spake mighty judgement upon all, and to convince doubters and ungodly amongst them of all their ungodly deeds and offenses which they have committed, and all of their hard speeches which these ungodly sinners have spoken in defense of that abomination who cackles and speaketh with false tones.  This fruit of Beelzebub's putrid loins who sprouted forth and falsely beguiled many in my flock with his discordant bleating will never be saved.  He who is known as the Cramlington Budgie Strangler will never be saved.  Listen well to those who are wise for they do know that the CBS is false.

I feel i must be living a very sheltered Life here!

Cramlington Budgie Strangler? Somebody explain!

Sting worked in Cramlington as a teacher.

Not sure about the Budgie story.

No Malcolm, I have not heard the story.

Maybe I was in Outer Mongolia at the time.

Obviously I can guess at the tale.

On Breakfast TV Sting said Jimmy Nail had been his 'Muse'.

Where upon Jimmy said that was the worst insult he had ever had to suffer.

This is all very well but what's the tale about the budgie!

Symptoms - you can't escape, there are two many ladies begging for you to reveal your ornithological bent!

Is it really budgie stranglers or is it smugglers ?

Wikipedia has an entry at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wansbeck and states -

Wansbeck was a local government district in south-east Northumberland, England. Its main population centres were Ashington, Bedlington and Newbiggin-by-the-Sea.

The area which was bounded by the district is mostly urban, on the North Sea coast north of the Tyneside conurbation. It bordered Blyth Valley district to the south, the border being the River Blyth. It was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by the merger of the urban districts of Ashington,Bedlingtonshire and Newbiggin-by-the-Sea. It is named after the River Wansbeck.

The district council was abolished as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England effective from 1 April 2009 with responsibilities being transferred to Northumberland County Council, a unitary authority.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

But no idea if this correct.

Hi!

 

Yes I'm hoping Wilma will get onto 'Bigloada' to find that film. It's a very good short film. Incidentally - I believe Bigloada got his name because he liked the big loadas in the nearby opencasts. Wilma will tell us more I'm sure!

 

The old windmill..

I've taken over a thousand photos of that one but have never actually had a good look at it! I was doing more of the artistic stuff in my images..

The old windmill gets a lot of visitors mind. They leave a terrible mess and even light fires inside it - there's obvious damage to the stonework.

I fear those visitors may have left chiseled marks too - it would make hunting more difficult.

 

I strongly advise that you visit the old windmill. Take a coat though because it's there for a reason - it gets very windy (and cold) up there!

 

The bridge? I have no idea! Sorry.

Thanks Brillo. The grand kids, with scarf and balaclava, will be sent to explore. 

Say enough is enough...........

 

http://www.fairfueluk.com/tellyourmp.html

Said it and MP emailed.

Wow! It looks like I've been taken over by some devine source or power.

Click, crackle, zzzz ... Yes you have and you'll never appear here again, so say goodbye!

That Tantric sex must be taking your body over. It'll be a long time before you come out of it!

Hi everyone. I'm Paul - the person who posted some of the Acorn Bank images onto Flickr.

 

They were skimmed from the microfiche records of The Blyth News in Blyth Library. I was given full permission to photograph and use but not for financial gain. That bit's important!

I took many of the photographs in the book titled 'We're the Famous Blyth Spartans...' by Ken Sproat. During that time I soon realised that the other images would be of great interest..

The images I've shared on Flickr are only a small percentage of what can be found in the microfiche records. If anyone has the time I recommend a visit to that library to see the thousands of news pages they have.

 

Somewhere on the internet (my old PC took bookmarks with it upon death!) there's a promotional film that has a lot of footage of Acorn Bank Opencast. It also shows haulers crossing the bridge in question.

I need to find it..

Welcome to the site Paul - If I come across the promotional film I will try and remember to book-mark and let you know.

I had a quick look on Flickr and saw the picture of the 66 ton coal hauler -  http://www.flickr.com/photos/flyeye/6130678964/in/photostream/

Noticed there was a posting on that page, from 'Bigloda', that mentions 'High Pit Wilma' might be interested. High Pit Wilma is on this site so you never know he might just have details of the info you are after.

Whilst looking at some of your pics I came across the one of the remains of the windmill at Plessey. The stories in my family are that a relative of my grandfather was the stonemason that assisted in the building of that and the Hartford bridge. Never been able to get to the windmill site or the east side of the bridge to see if the stonemason left any evidence of the builder.  

Do you have any info on the windmill and bridge?

My world was lang pit rows .with ootside Nettie's.

Pigeon crees and garden tetties.Men Gannon to work

Wearing auld cloth caps.

Fetching wettor from outside taps.Jinny/ Mary/ Hannah/ May

WOR some of the names of every day.

Kids riding around on ramshackle bikes

Dorty angels raggy arsed tykes.

Nobody had out we wor aal the same

Could/nt tell the difference except for the name.

A divvent regret these times have past

Its just that whey man

They wor the last.

Part of a poem I wrote years ago which I. thought apt for this topic

I like that. You didn't loose your Penka doon Double Raa did ye?

Did the names Gibbons & Potts fit in with your memory of the occupants of the first two house in Office Row? Just so I can tell the 'ageds' they were right or wrong.   

I agree it's similar to the Bebside Inn but the Inn has 3 upstairs windows.

 

It might not even be a pub. Looks like a really old photo and I'm not sure the women featured would have gone into rough public houses in those days.

 

The photo is one of only 4 unidentified pictures in Dad's collection so is probably a Bedlingtonshire building.

Not saying cars didn't move around the country in the early 19 hundreds, but the 1 or 2 letter plates followed by 4 numbers were issued between 1903 & and the mid 1930s. The registration  M-2248 on the old car is, according to the 'Chiltern Vehicle Preservation Group'  that have issued a document  http://www.cvpg.co.uk/REG.pdf detailing when and where car registrations were issued, gives that car as registered in Chichester in 1919.

Must get out for a pint!

I lived in no 14 0ffice row until I got married.There were 17 houses in the street.Starting at 17 the families were Audsley .Easton/ Scott/ Dickson /Beldon/ Scot/ Allison/ B

loom/ Godsmark/ Dixon/ Marshall/ White/ Lowe/ Neal/ Hunter / I/m afraid my memory let's me down on the last 2 .

Alan - and old Barrington source, that wishes to remain anonymous, says the last two could be:- 

Gibbons - mended the potts! and Pollard.

And then wandering away from the actual Offfice row question they said :-

"House through the gateway was Ronnie Cook and Bob Crackett" and then the conversation went off in another direction.

It might just be my 51 and three quarters year old dodgy eyesight but can anyone name the pub. The sign looks like it ends with 'House'.

Well my even older dodgier eyesight also failed.

Using Microsoft Digital Image I applied every filter and distortion I could. The best, for my eyes, I got was by cutting out the sign and distorting the image. Definiteley say the last word is house but the; it appears to start with 'JO'  then the rest beats me.

Definitely got clipped by polis (and then by parents after they were informed by polis) but don't remember his name. If your dad was the Bedlington Station polis Paul then I for one am extremely happy he clipped me and sent me home. A clip, a throbbing lug for a day or two, the embaresmaent (of getting caught) etc. etc. much better than a police record. 

The Wheat Sheaf Inn.jpgBedlington 1897.jpg

 

In one of Evan Martin's books he records the pubs that were in Bedlington in 1886  -

 

Beerhouses

Alma Inn, Glebe Row, Wm Barnes.

Barrington Arms, Vulcan Place, William Herron.

Cross Tavern Market Place, John Phillips.

Fountain Inn, Glebe Row, John Simm.

Gardener's Arms Front Street, Margaret Birkley.

Traveller's Rest, Front Street, Henry Kidd.

Wharton Arms Inn, West End, G Anderson.

Wheat Sheaf Inn, East End, Andrew Hay.

 

Hotels, Inns and Taverns

Black Bull, Front St, Henry Ternent.

Blue Bell, West End, Thos Mole.

Bridge Inn, East End, Robed Leslie.

Dun Cow, East End, Wm Green.

Howard Arms, Market Place Mark Bowman.

King's Arms, Market Place Hutton Glover.

Mason's Arms, West End, Thomas Hay.

Northumberland Arms, Northumberland St, James Archer.

Oddfellows Arms, East End, T R Simm.

Percy Arms, Bedlington Station, Wonders & Son.

Puddlers Arms, Bank Top, Joseph Wm Craggs.

Red Lion, Thos Robson.

Sun Inn, Front St, Wm Scott.

Tankerville Arms, Glebe Row, Joseph Cowans.

Traveller's Rest, Scotland Gate, T Morrow.

Turk's Head, Market Place, Mrs Hudspith.

 

I've no idea what the difference is between a Beerhouse, an Inn and a Tavern but according to this list there were 24 of them!

At the bottom end of the town, on the site where a "Jonnie Johnson†retirement home, "Wansbeck Court†has been built there used to be a block of flats. The block of flats was at some stage The Wheat Sheaf Inn as the name of the pub could be seen painted on the front of the building right up to the time the building was pulled down. It was demolished sometime in the 1950's. I have attached a photo of the inn.

On the attached map of Bedlington in 1897, PH means public house and most of the pubs listed above can be picked up on the map. The one marked in yellow is the position of The Wheat Sheaf Inn.

Like the 1897 map James. Most of the ones I've got (found on-line) don't have specific dates and they have more street buildings so this is the ealiest, with more info on, that I have seen.