pilgrim

had to laugh at that Wilma re the buying your own gear etc. as a very young child and having a father as a 'shotfirer' there were always 'strange - do not touch' things about the house and I do recall being allowed to play with my great uncles service revolver - not loaded of course and only in the house. The high point of my very early days - I don't think I had even started school!! was being allowed to push the plunger on the det box to blow up some old tree stumps on our land. Im sure special branch, anti terrorist squad and the social services would have had a major operation on that these days. (mind you - I also recall him signing the poison register at the chemists for cyanide to use for disposing of some wasps nests we had -- can you imagine that these days ???

re above -- at our ages -- what a way to go ...

fascinating post Pete - the reference to Whinney Hill made me recall my great aunt lived there in the first house on the right - she was called Isabel - a formidable type in tweeds and like a galleon in full sail - her husband had lost an arm and was a draughtsman for the colliery. they moved to a house at Sheepwash on the bank on the left side opposite the anglers but roughly opposite the chapel (I think the Million family had the shop there on the other side)

sorry to keep posting but have just recalled something else about Station Terrace - at no 3 lived Mrs Syrett as I have said before and she had a lodger that had one of those 3 wheeled blue invalid carriages and worked at remploy - I remember he was called John Latimer - if that helps anyone

Morpeth was a muddy saxon swamp basically but it became major long before the coaching days. The school was established in 1552 by royal Charter of Edward VI (as were many others) but was there many years before that in the Chantry building (still there on the bridge) the chantry was endowed with the income of the toll on the crossing of the river. Where St. Georges church is -directly opposite (URC) was the site of the Lords mill in the remit of the castle (still standing above Carlisle Park) and there are still traces of the 'leet' there. Again location was a major factor in the development in that it was ideally situated on a river crossing and within the trading area of the main productive area and was eventually granted a market charter much to the annoyance of Alnwick which still annoys some folk !! and the main traffic route did play a major part in its development. The oldest houses in Morpeth are the ones with the red pantiles on the roof., but Mitford was a much more important place in the hands of the de mountforts -- hence the priory and castle there.(norman holdings) the 'great north road' the A1 (as we know and love it when it is single carriageway and full of tractors) follows part of the roman road north (causey park being named after the 'causeway' or raised road, but in early times most traffic was actually done by small coastal traders which was faster and safer than the roads. sorry to digress from the willow bridge thread

ty pete - that might clarify things a bit.

I don't think that the cathedral itself made any difference to that area being part of Northumberland.(as in the county/dukedom) I think it was more to do with a powerbase and not allowing a 'Newcastle' to become too powerful, in that the barony held the castle and the religious focal points (castra/castrum) and therefore had control. the outer area was more likely considered in similar ways as the civilian area outside the roman camps, (vicus) hence the differential. the castle is built to control the main route north and south and the crossing of the river and has a very commanding position which would have promoted the growth of the infrastructure about it. I tend to look at the geology first, then the geography,(which is dictated by the geology) then the demography, (which is dictated by the geography and land usage to some extent) and the power bases/politics build up from there. eg. Bothal - highest navigable point on the river, but never really made it big, whilst Morpeth became the County town and market. Bamburgh, a powerbase because of the defensible position etc. it might seem a bit obscure - but strip the buildings and history away and start from a 'blank' sheet of the terrain and it tends to indicate the sites and dictate the history. Bedlington for example; we have the site of the church on that high ridge, where would any fortified building have been?? I would have thought the area of the Red Lion would be a good place to start. I am quite happy to be corrected and am glad that my comments have provoked some thought. (as an aside would Liverpool be a multi city?? I seem to think they have a cathedral or two spare)

in response to the above; I am not quite sure how or when Bedlington became a shire, but suspect it dates way back when Bamburgh and Durham were major kingdoms in the north (one political and one religious, although the signs are still on the roads about Durham being the land of the 'Prince Bishops' - in those days Bishops went to war) it my also have been tied up in the dodgy way the Percys became dukes of Northumberland and moved into Alnwick from Warkworth after the rightful D'Veschy heir disappeared whilst a child in the care of the bishop of durham (that's a story in itself!!!), although I suspect it has more to do with the Cuthbert connection. I believe Durham really came into prominence in Norman times. Cuthbert was kept at Chester le Street for many years as the cathedral wasn't finished and Chester le Street was an old roman camp owned by the church and Cuthbert's body was actually a bit of an embarrassment. Perhaps a valid line of research into the old history of Bedlington. Consider that any village can only have a hinterland of about 2 hrs day walk from its centre (about 6 miles) otherwise land management becomes unviable, and I always wondered if Bedlington was established as a 'glebe' land to support the original church? (this may all be wrong!!) A city to be recognised as such must have a cathedral - in Newcastle it is St. Nicholas, which is right next to the Norman keep beside the high level bridge and commanding the Tyne. This small area I believe was and may still well be part of Northumberland but so many boundaries changed in the 60's and 70's that might not be the case now. ergo Newcastle (clue in the name!!) outside that area has no cathedral and is not under the old definition a city. Station Terrace was definitely within the holding of the Bishopric of Durham and not the railway or coal companies. I was trying to recall anything else relevant last night (with wine assistance) and I was of a mind that the original lease on Station Terrace was for 160 yrs and not the usual 99 for some reason. this would tie in with the houses being built around the 1850's with the advent of coal and railway expansion. I am quite happy to be proven wrong on any of the above but it seems to fit the few facts that I recall. hope this helps (there is a very good jpg on the St Cuthbert and Bedlington churches thread about the Cuthbert connection)

scaffold?? they having a public hanging? (nominations please) or a gig by a 70's group to open the site???(again nominations) (sorry about that but couldn't help mesel)

check my post in the thread under 'willow bridge' its an underlying thing about why Bedlington is a shire and under the control of Durham. (its a bit offthread - but those of you with an interest might like to open a line of research.

on a slightly different note --- all that land around Choppington Station was within the Palatinate of Durham.((the church/cathedral - which goes back to the Cuthbert thing) - (Bedlington is a SHIRE under Durham - in the same way that Newcastle city centre is part of Northumberland but the city per se isn't)) The houses and buildings that people had bought were leasehold and on a 99 yr lease. In those days at the termination of the lease the houses returned to the ownership of the leaseholder with no compensation for the owner - in other words you became a tenant in your own house with no rights to extend the lease or indeed to even live in your own house. This situation led to the leasehold reform act of 1967 and Station Terrace at Choppington station was used in an example in the parliamentary debate leading to the act. this was fought by the church authorities and many other landowners, (obviously). The leases at Choppington station expired in 1968/1969 which might give an indication of when the majority of things were built - and of course why they were no longer used after the mid 60's as they were basically worthless.(On reflection it was a fine example of Christian charity !!!) it might be interesting to see which land is still within or was within the ownership of Durham Cathedral in view of some of the other threads. I know I might have digressed on this thread but it might give an insight into the demise of small communities within that area.

I seem to think it was the railway tavern - the travellers was at Scotland gate next to tommy Henderson's post office. there is a picture of the railway tavern on here somewhere showing the 'cinema' next to it.

well said Bedlingtonian - although would be a brave man to say that in the times - Scargill tried at Orgreave and wanted vengeance and used the NUM as a tool for his ego -- I think the man was summed up in the television clip of the time when he was arrested... I had a mate who was a 'heavy' on the first strike started by Scargill and he would have nowt to do with him after that.... anyway -- it seems he has been screwing the NUM to pay for his London accommodation for many years to the point where they have had to take him to court!! now that is solidarity!!!

ah right - forgive me for being old and senile -- but I recall fishing of the staithes which were still being used and after a night in the willick you could remember nowt anyway!!! - the other pub we used was the one at east sleekburn -- canny juke box - and the shoes afore they got artsy and banned bikers -- although I recall the vicar from blyth being refused beer when he turned up on his bike and was a diff story when he had his dog collar on underneath his leathers !!!!! ((ffs the bikers kept that pub going at one time as no one else drank there)

eeeee I have just looked at the pic again and spotted the ridley arms -- or the willick as we knew it -- used get there on the m/bike but the cambois bends outside the power station could be a bit 'sideways' if you had too many

there were def two 'cold war' subs before those two in he pic as the silos for alcan were def not built then an the staithes were still standing

hughes bolkows was at cambois opposite the ferry -- I seem to recall it was called battleship wharf -- last two ships I saw there being dismantled were two Russian subs with glass panels in the conning tower. they had a big shed there full of magic stuff - like life rafts etc you could pick up for next to nowt -- I had a Cpl of raf single man rafts as a child to play with. on the subject of waggonways there are still the remains of the wooden way from Plessey to the staithes at blyth -- have a look between the dual carriageways traveling east just before the 3 horse shoes and behind bog houses - once you spot it you can trace it right back. (on that subject - there are still adits from the north bank at Plessey and when the opencast was there (now the site of MSD aside the windmills and afore the airfield) they found wooden shovels in the old workings (sorry if I digressed over a few threads there) and forgot to add blyth was a major sub base - ideal due to the large deep turning area

could it be burnside at the station?? looking at the windows and style of dress - also the pointing on the wall on the right suggests to me a 'ministerial' visit re very new housing - or the usual canvassing prior to an election?

you are right about the ticket office and the train is heading in the morpeth direction. that building you mention was the station masters house (see my previous posts)

an excellent picture. it was taken facing north towards Scotland gate as stated. the signal box is on the right and the station masters house is one the left. on the right side just within view is what was yarrows shop, although I suspect that it was someone else running it at the time of the picture. the actual station and platforms were on the left behind the station masters house.

station terrace is the row of houses on the bedlington side of the crossing. the station was immediately beside the lord clyde with platforms on both sides - one for trains towards bedlington station and the other towards hepscott and morpeth. the station master's house was on a plot of land at the side of the road immediately opposite the signal box. travelling towards bedlington along station terrace, there was a small gap and a large building known locally as the german club - allegedly as someone had tried to signal out to sea from an upper floor, this was demolished in the very early 60's. further on towards bedlington where there are now stables was a single very large allotment with two pear trees. I should have clarified earlier that the lord clyde is at choppington station and not choppington itself and there was another pub opposite the lord clyde.

further to above -- no 2 station terrace was a woman called 'olive'. at the bottom of the bank beside willow bridge was a garage used by Barnfathers business. as you travelled towards Scotland gate on the west side I think Billy Dixon lived there and he had a horse and cart. from Yarrows shop going down to the bridge I recall the Candlish family lived next to the shop then the Miller family. Jacky Wades mother in the Lord Clyde was called Barbara.

not sure if its been covered but - going wayyyyyyyyyyy back most churches named after Cuthbert were named after his resting places on the return to lindisfarne - there was one at causey park for example. although I suspect that the church at bedlington predated that because it was built on top of the sandstone ridge and most churches were at that time (or indeed took sites that were previously 'holy' under whatever god) you can trace the line of these churches all over the country -- but locally they are all on high points - bedlington next is Horton aside cramlington - cramlington itself earsdon on the way down the coast --and many many more -- its interesting to get a map and plot them by contour points and gives some insight on early and indeed pre-Christianity.

interesting comment re Anthony quaile - I was aware of he site at Plessey but of course any information is not easy to get.

ty -will do