Keith Scantlebury

Happy Borfday Canny Lass

ERRRRR ????????

Did you see the report on telly yesterday morning? They were running a steam loco with Victorian carriages to celebrate the 150th aniversarry of the origional line opening. They said that the first engines did not have cabs on them !! Can you imagine working on one them down there for a 12 hr. shift. Your lungs would be well and truly kippered!!!!

Alan Davison runs the Blyth Hearts Jazzband and he drove their bus for years as well

And Alan Davison

Is the car park not in the middle, a court yard type ?

Would that be the shop where I saw you standing on on your Alans shoulders trying to reach the top shelf ?

About half of them sold Adam. There was all sorts of incentives to buy them.

Yup , Dickie Railton and Jamesie Easton

He was in the Percy one night and Austen was stood with with holes in his boots, someone said he might be able to get a pair from work for him, what size do you take, Austen said " Cheers, owt between a 6 and a 10 will dee ". Him, Scoyt, Dicky and the Duchess made a helluva team.

Nah she's a DEFECTIVE

We were in Morpeth one wednesday on the lash and Austen and his dog was with us. The club wouldnt let the dog in so Austen went to the bus stop went up to the driver of the Blyth bus, slung the dog on and told the driver to let it off anywhere in Bedlington . We was some bloke man, He must have had a liver like a brick , the ammount he could drink (that mostly other people were conned into paying for.

"Laidies and Gentleman, I hope you are enjoying your journey through South East Northumberland. We are travelling through what has now become known as 'Vera 'country - named after the popular T.V . detective,. As we leave North Blyth you may notice how quiet it seems on the quay on our left, that is the Alcan Berth. It is quiet because Rio Tinto has pulled the plug and high tailed it out of town. Sit back and enjoy your journey. ""We are now entering the picturesque community, Bedlington Station. Please note the many varieties of weeds, weeving their way up the well kept chain link fence and the strategically placed items of litter alongside the railway lines. If you look closely beyond the buildings on our left, you can see a world record ammount of take away food outlets crammed into a small area. Please keep looking out of the left side, - CAREFULLY, you'll tip the train. As we go over the crossings, please feast your eyes on the magnificent building, The Clayton Arms (a gasp of pure wonderment fills the carriages). Take particular notice of the modern, self ventilating windows and the up to date advertising daubed on the frames and walls. Note also, how the clientelle standing outside have enjoyed themselves so much inside, they are finding difficult to go home, their faces are bruised after taking part in popular bar room activities of which the clientelle of the Clayton Arms excell. As we pass even more take aways, we will soon cross the River Blyth , as we approach the viaduct, look out of the right side windows, upstream and near the quaint furness bridge, you may just be able to see the disposable outdoor Gymnasium and Picnic tables. Disposable? I hear you ask, it gets quite chilly at nights and the users of this equipment are encouraged to warm themselves by the fire using the equipment as fuel. East Bedlington Parish Council kindly remove the used Equipment and supply more." " Please relax and continue to enjoy your journey as we head towards the sprawling metropolis of Newcastle upon Tyne. The train will brake sharpley very soon, this is so we can disslodge some of the Clayton Arms customers who have somehow got on the carriage roof , dont worry, the river will break their fall. (loud slamm, screeching of brakes and the train comes to a halt fading screams are heard as people fall towards the river) .............. oops the tide is out"

Thats called vandalism these days, burglary with menace

The picture house was the Prince of Wales

Well hello stranger

I really enjoyed my time at Chillingham John, but to be honest it wasn't the best of carreer moves. We were living in Lincolnshire at the time - 1979 - and the wife was very homesick, our eldest daughter was only a year old at the time and the wife really wanted to be back in the north east. I was offered the job and I took it despite it being a lot less money than I was earning in Lincolnshire. On the other hand I was involved in working with one of the most famous herds of cattle in the world and I was made part of that history by being the first man in over 700 years to calve one of those cowsTo be honest I could tell you loads of stories about that place, but it would take far too much room up. Working for the Tankervilles was an experience and a half .

agree to both

I lived and worked on the Chillingham estate in the early '80's, and looked after the small dairy herd there as well as relief milked other herds in the area. I also worked with the wild cattle. What Ouston Widdows says about trying to catch them is absolute tosh. ( what he says about the history of them is true ). I am the only man to have calved one of those cows. The cow was stuck in a bog , we had no choice but to pull her out and I had to deliver the calf. The calf was removed to the calf house on the farm and hand reared. A few cows were lost in the 80's because of a mineral imbalance and the calves had to be reared by hand. After the foot and mouth outbreak in 1967 a small nucleus herd was set up at a secret location on Speyside in case anything should happen to the herd at Chillingham, the hand reared calves were sent there when they were weaned. The herd truly is wild and as Ouston says in the film, any that have been touched by Humans will be killed by the others, adult cattle would be banished from the herd and would usually die. The only help they would get is hay would be fed to them in the winter, but the hay has to be made within the confines of the wild cattle park , ie, within the boundary of the wall. The bulls keep within a group by themselves and they fight for the position of King Bull. I have had some very close encounters with someof those, they can be very very dangerous. At the time I lived there the castle was in ruins (although the lawns were kept immaculate). The castle was a right spooky place to go near after dark (till you got used to it). I remember once having to go down at about 10 on a winters night and could hear talking. Lady Tankerville (dowager) used to walk the dog, a Rotweiller, around there at night and she was stood talking to someone at an upstairs window. I whent to see if she was ok because I thought there mighy have been an intruder but I could'nt see anyone. She said " no no Keith I just like talking to those who looked after the place before us" I was outa there sharpish and if I had to go there after dark I did'nt hang around too long. The castle was offered to the National Trust who refused it on the grounds that it would cost too much to restore and make safe for visitors. It was bought by the present owner (Sir Hugh Wakefield, I think , or could it be Humphry) who restored the castle to what it is now. He also restored the ghost stories which have done his bank balance no harm at all. There is a ford in the village and a wooden footbridge that goes over it. We had the inlaws up for the day and the wife took them round the castle and told them a few stories about the place. Just as it was getting dark I was leaving the farm and I could see them coming past the church, so I hid under the bridge. When they were on the bridge I put my hand through a gap and grabbed my sister in law's ankle, I think people as far away as Wooler and Alnwick heard her scream, what rained down through the bridge was'nt rain water either. All the Tankervilles that have died are in the crypt in the Church, as well as the Earl Grey and Lady Jane Grey who are laid in the church itself. Their ephigies (spelling ?) are on top of the tomb. Chillingham really is a village worth visiting if you have never been. You can even impress your kids or friends by giving one of the Californian Redwood trees a thump. ( you wont hurt yourself on the velvety bark ) but make sure it is a Redwood first. Ha Ha

Aye and I was totaly agrieved not too see my name on the list AGAIN . Its about time I was sired.

brilliant

Looking at those maps I am even more convinced it is the Wansbeck. The Inn that is marked will be the Foresters, its right on the bend in West Sleekburn, you can see the island in the wider part of the river behind it . It can be still seen today as I mentioned in the previous post.

You need to remember, when looking at old maps that the Wansbeck will have changed because of the dam. There is an island a couple of hundred yards downstream from the bridge that mostly dissapears after heavy rainfall (we cant blame the high tide, like the t.v. reporters blamed for flooding Morpeth ) anymore as the river is no longer tidal above the dam.

Yes John and he did the disco's in the YM as well.

We have a stable on the allotments behind Wansbeck Tce. It's the closest one to the bridge, not far from where the 2nd pic was taken from. When I was down there this morning to see to the ponies I stood and had a good look and I'm pretty sure that, that is the right place.