Alan dickson

There was a Nurse Crowe lived there in the sixties when my two lassies were little

Still think this photo is around 1910ish if you look closely that seems like a shovel the person on left of bridge is carrying. Also very top right behind the Lord Clyde is what was a very small theatre at turn of 20th cent. Right character called Clipper Smith lived in house nearest the bridge. Your about right with the bus Bill

H.P.W been given 2 copies of football team photo/s 1956 and 1957 Whitley Memorial but don't/ know how to put on this page. Yours if you want them!!

We once found some fossil mussels up the plessey seam at Bates and they looked real enough to eat.And once at Lynemouth we fired a shot INA new heading and when the fumes cleared a complete segmented tree trunk was standing completely upright in front of us.Though I remember ajoker at Bates taking a kipper skeleton and shoving it into a clay fault ,making a great show of finding it. The Deputy who was/t very popular wrapped it carefully in his bait paper and buggared of sharp to bank with it. In the meantime a museum official had been called . You can imagine the managers face when he delivered his verdict on the prize exhibit

P.S I remember Bobby Cross he was transferred from Woodhorn as an Overman. He had been Marra/s with my dad when they were younger. Lovely little fella with I shall tactfully say sailor/s legs

Divvent know if H P w had the pleasure of seeing the cavern at Bates at the Harvey Seam ,as we both started on same day there. It was like stepping into a fairy grotto made entirely out of mica crystal.The weekend shift I was on meant I could help myself to a sample or two, I could hardly carry me bait bag yem. I/m sure me and HPW could write a book between us . It wasn't/ all work down the pit ,there were some great practical jokers down there . The best one I came across was when a lad sewed a pair of kippers into his Marra/s jacket lining the pit baths were humming the next day

The fancy dress was 1949 Barnt/n Gala and contestants always marched down the road to be judged outside of school.Have a copy of same photo but can only name 19 of them, me memory must be slipping

Your right about Mr Aldis !I remember him doing magic tricks in timberyard sat Seat on Burn. George Rafferty also taught us first aid. There was Mr Brennan at that time to ,wasn/t exactly the life and soul of the party

Not to sure about this H.P .W ,I/be got a book somewhere which shows him in his garden and it seems to be on other side of road looking up towards road with big chimney/s in distance. The old big house was Willow Bridge Farm and the tree/s below it were the remnants of the forest which went down to Cambois. Last time I looked there was a small brick building behind bungalow which was pay office for brickyard across the road. Owned by Mr Foggo,

Don't/ know exact date but it was hospice for weary travellers in mediaeval times as the road was the main coastal road North. When they built the new houses on left side some very old skeletons were uncovered said to be monks who ran the hospice. A few years ago the man who lived there told me the kitchen was being renovated and a big pile of flagstones were stacked up for the next day and the door locked. On going in the next day they were strewn all over,he moved shortly afterwards. A secret tunnel is said to be rumoured .l think the road split the hospice in two.

Watcheor H.P.W I always remember Mr Smout giving us apiece of advice.He always referred to the pony in the 3d person.Right bonny lads divvent stand at the back cos it kicks like hell and divvent stand at the front cos it bites if it gets a chance. P.s there was a time team style dig there about5yrs ago but don't/t know any results.

Just a final note from me, There's a smashing book in Guidepost library called A Methodist Victorian Childhood by Sir Victor Murray.He was brought up in what was Wards paper shop. Went on to become something high up in national Methodist movement. Wonderful description of Victorian times in Choppington lovely map of Choppington in book circa 1890s in book.

Aye years ago I had a walk over Sheepwash Bridge up to where Sparrow HOUSE Farm was. Then decided to have a look at the old Farm I could see from my side of the river.An old lady told me it was last inhabited in the 1940s. Her granny had worked there and every Xmas got an invite up to Bothal Castle with the rest of the hired help for the Xmas party. She said it was in the Portland Bothalhough Estate. Also said the Bothal Vicar at one time resided at Sheepwash and walked up to Bothal every day along the river. Alas it is no longer there the local kids demolished what was left of it.l asked the Farmer to let me try my metal detector on the land but met a refusal

Talking about lonnens can anyone tell me why that path from Netherton Pit to Thomas Taylors is called the Bob and Jones, Was it named after pits ?

Us Barnt/n lads always called it the White Lonnen,suppose that would have been the cement it was made with. We used to birds nest all the way up from Barnt/n then owed the heaps and back down the burn to Barnt/n. The little brick building half way down the lonnen was the Pits high explosive store. Little stream beside Francis Pit is the Green letch.