Joe Ridley

The river must have been a site to see, dredged and wiidened for the ships to load and unload. the sketch by C Bergen is great, showing the area as it once was and the coal tubs ready to be unloaded. You can also see the clock tower, it makes the clock house look more like a church. Thank goodness there are pictures to show how it looked in the past. A picture is worth worth a thousand words. Thank you so much for all your great pictures. Joe

So it was the boilerhouse for the iron works and that's were it would draw water from the river. That's interesting. I have seen some pictures of the lovely garden next to it. I believe the house next to it was a shop. Joe

Can anyone tell me what the small building was on the end of Furnace Bridge? (see pictures). I wondered if it had been a small shop? Was the Furnace Bridge ever a toll bridge? Joe The Ha'penny Woods.mp4

Nice to find out that the clock house was most probably a workmen’s institute. I would have loved to have seen the iron works in it's heyday. Joe

Ovalteeny mentioned he worked for James Haulage, so he may be able to say if the garages at Ravensworth Street were ex NCB and he may know when they were built. I was told James Haulage had a garage opposite my house. Joe

Thanks for the picture of Muters pop factory. Was there any connection between Muters and Woods pop factory? A local resident told me the garages belonged to E & T James. I don't thionk they were colliery garages now, although the ground they were built on was colliery as is the road to the front of my house. My house and the one next door were purchased from the NCB in 1983. My deeds say there are mine workings under my house and at one time it was an opencast mine. Joe.

Very interesting. It's a great place with loads of history. I've blown the photo up a bit but It's still not clear. Joe

Was the Clock House a church? as it has that type of windows. Joe.

Great photo, I've cleaned it up a bit Joe.

I am surprisedthat the ran buses over that bridge. If you look at it closely it's had a fair bashing over the years. There doesn't seem to be any signs showing that it was once a working ironworks. It's an important piece of Bedlingtons history. Joe.

I have done a bit of research today in to Bedlington Ironworks and downloaded several good photo's I always wondered what hade been there when I saw the stone rubble. The bridge is beautiful and must have been a great site to see when it was first built. Joe Blyth Dene, Ironworks..pdf

Can anyone tell me if there actually was a steel works at the bottom of Furnace Bank in the Dene Park area. I noticed a lot of stone work and it's near to the river and when the bridge was built? Joe.

That's great, now know where all the pits were. That spoil heap is some size. There must be many miles of pit shafts under Bedlington. There is a one under my house, plus it was an open cast mine previously. canny Lass has also been very helpful, giving me the names of previous tenants etc. I don't think now that the garages were colliery. I have attached a picture of the Spiritulist Church, now a work shop.

Thanks for that information. I do use the Land Registry, only to find out recent information. Do they do older searches? I am a bit of a novice. I did my family history and I enjoyed that. I am trying to get maps of Bedlington, It's a bit hard to find good clear maps. I am grateful for the maps you sent. I talked to an old resident who knew some history and he told me the garages were used by a haulage company. He said he thought their name was James. He said there was a garage straight across the road from my house. Now demolished. I have attached a picture of the spiritualist church. Now used as a workshop. Joe.

This map is interesting as it does not show the garages or the church. My deeds show my house was bought from the Coal Board by Robert & Linda Brown on the 03/12/1983. 36 Ravensworth Street was also purchased from the Coal Board in 1983. by Mr & Mrs Darling. Joe

Here is the map showing the chapel etc. Joe

Hi Canny Lass, Ive had a better look at that map and I belive they are the garages and chapel. My house is ex colliery and could be about 1925 or earlier. The year it was built is not on my deeds. Joe.

No I don't think that's it Joe

Thanks again Alan, I have spoken to Mark, He runs the spray shop next door to me. His uncle ownes the garages and rents them out, I didn't know his name. There used to be a pop factory at the top of the street, it is now flats, There is another garage behind my house which is also a spray shop. My house must be over one hundred years old and as I have said it was a colliery house, as is the one next door. I love local history and as I come from a mining family I am interested in local mines. I am originally from Prudhoe and both my granfathers, my father and his brothers worked at West Wylam Colliery. When I left school I applied for work at West Wylam Collier but it was closing and I never got the chance. According to coal board records there were shafts under my house and there is still a lot of coal under there. Than you for the old photo's and maps. Joe.

Hi Alan, Here is a picture showing my house and the garages and chapel. I believe the garages are owned by a genteman call Mr Edgar, I believe he lives in Bedlington. Joe.

Thanks Allen, I live next to the paint spray garage. There was another garage opposite my house that was used by a haulage company in the past. My house was originally bought from the Coal Board. The road to the front of the house belongs to the NCB. The council have plans to adopt this road and make a car park on the waste ground next to Liddles Terrace, to be used by rail travellers when the railway is reinstated. I welome this as the road is in a poor state. I would love to find out if these garages once belonged to the coal board, the chapel is now used occasionally as a workshop. Do you know which colliery was the nearest to where I live? Joe

Hi, I live at Ravensworth Street, Bedlington. I moved here in 2018 and I am interested in local history, especially local coal mines. My house is an ex colliery house and the Coal Authority still own the road in front of my house. There are a couple of car repair garages next to my house and a small chapel. What I am trying to find out is wether the garages origionally belonged to the Coal Board and which colliery would use them. My great grandfathers were miners as were my father and all my uncles. Joe.