loopylou

I think this is how Craggs Buildings may have been numbered. It seems it was named this due to the former license holder of the Puddlers Arms being a J. W. Craggs. He had the pub in 1887 before dying in 1889, aged 43. No. 1 started where the Bank Top is now, and continued down to No. 13/14 next to River View. No. 1 - 4 are the cottages that separated the Puddlers from Bank Top Hotel. The 1881 census lists an address “Clark’s Cottages” inbetween “Liddle’s Cottages” (Liddle’s Yard) and “Puddler’s Arms”. I think it’s likely Clark’s Cottages referred to No. 1-4. A former landlord of the Puddlers was Henry Clark. No. 5 - 8, an auction piece on 22 Oct 1864 (Newcastle Daily Chronicle) lists the Puddler’s Arms as having “eight large rooms”. Possibly that the Puddler’s was split into four two-room flats. No. 9 - 14, the same auction piece lists the Puddlers Arms as having “three houses, with four rooms each, adjoining the above.” I believe these were split into the six two-room apartments of No. 9 - 14, as a later auction piece on 27 Feb 1869 (Newcastle Daily Journal) now describes the attached property to Puddler’s Arms as “six double cottages”. Photo with the door numbers included.

Possibly this?

@Alan Edgar (Eggy1948) I think the bungalow you reference as River View in the older picture is actually the second one in, number 2? Maps has a no 1 River View which nearly lines up with a corner house in Tomlea Avenue . But the current end house (2) is a bit further down. I assume a few got demolished over the years.

It looks like that between 44-49 (presumably 1944) that the middle block was demolished after the fire but the outer houses kept. Then at some point between 1949 and 1959 the lower houses also demolished, keeping the ones closest to Bank Top Hotel until River View Close was built.

@Canny lass yes, no one ever seemed to stay in one place. 😄

I don’t know if there are photos of Cragg’s Buildings out there, but there were some in the papers in 1943 after it was on fire. (No. 5, 6, 7 and 8).

@Alan Edgar (Eggy1948) thank you for the advice, very helpful. There’s a lot of stuff on here to look around at 😁

Sorry I don’t think I worded it right. Oh dear 😅. I did mean door numbers, not the schedule in censuses—I meant to infer that at some point in time the Rooneys seem to live at nearly every door number (3, 6, 8 etc) and the numbers are always changing because they switched houses that much. It is quite interesting to see how everyone in such a small space was connected, because there was quite a lot! In 1939, No. 9 (Tweddle) & 10 (Bell) families connected to the Rooneys as the Tweddle’s adopted a grandaughter of Ellen Rooney. I think the Tweddle’s had been at Cragg’s since about 1914 too.

@Canny lass thank you for the thread, I’d not noticed it before. I think the families must’ve swapped around quite often. Each time I see new census’ and records the building is the same but the door number has changed 😁. Rooneys started living at Craig’s Bldgs by Aug 1914 at least, before that they were at Back Row in 1912 (according to school records of the youngest two sons; Joseph C b. 1900 and John Edward b. 1902 — and a death record for the infant son of eldest dau Margaret b.1888). John’s wife Ellen was a next of kin for my relative in his WW1 record. This had her living at number 3.

Wow, what a small world! 😁

@Canny lass thank you very much for your research 🙂 @Alan Edgar (Eggy1948) thank you for the maps and image comparison I didn’t think that I would be able to see a photo of Oldgate Row (or that any existed) so this is a great help. My ancestors lived there for a few years 1908-1911 then (John Rooney) died so from there they were scattered around the Bank Top & Furnace area. A lot of the rows (Back, Brick & Stone) and then Craigs/Craggs Blgs. I have info about the other places but Oldgate was always the outlier 😁

Hi, My ancestor’s lived at this location in the 1911 census. I have tried searching it up but not found much information about it. Does anyone know more specifically where it was located? I would assume south of the Bank Top across the river, possibly? A burial record I’ve located also refers to it as just “Oldgate”, no Row. Thank you 🙂

@Alan Edgar (Eggy1948) this is brilliant, thank you 😁

Wow this is some brilliant detective work, thank you very much. 😁 Never would’ve thought of using pubs and shops as identifiers, will definitely take this into account for the future. My ancestor is the Charles you mention (3x great grandfather to be specific) after 1851 these Dixon’s tended to switch between Choppington & Bedlington. (Charles parents were buried in Choppington if I recall) but Charles was buried at Netherton Lane. Sadly he did not live very long, he died at Doctor Terrace in 1892 aged 46.

Thank you! (a bit late on the response 😁) . I believe the premise of his parents lodging is very likely. It completely missed me, but in 1851 the family was living at “Lodging Houses” in Bedlington (but do not know where these were located). 1861 census shows next on the schedule to Mugger’s Corner a lot of “licensed lodging houses” so I wonder if it was here??

Thanks for the information, a really interesting read! Glad to now know the proximity of where it was. I was surprised my ancestor was born on a farm given his father was a coal miner and the baptism said “of Bedlington colliery”. Perhaps they didn’t stay long.

I wonder if this “Granary Point Jetty” was named after Mount Pleasant Granary…? “the suggestion was taken up and the rail was completed in 1841, joining the existing wagon way at Bedlington Station, finishing up at Granary Point Jetty, East Sleekburn.” https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Bedlington_Ironworks

Thank you for the welcome 😀 I have seen that farm before, didn’t know it was called Mount Pleasant—interesting. If I remember correctly Mount Pleasant Granary appeared in the 1841 census after Sleekburn Grange and that Mount Pleasant Farm. Seems a bit strange for it to have just disappeared!

Hi, this is my first post on here. Whilst doing research I’ve discovered one of my ancestors (surname Dixon) was born in 1846 at “Mount Pleasant Granary” in Bedlington. I’ve never heard of this place before, does anyone have any idea where it was? In later censuses his birth is down as Sleekburn so maybe it was near here. All I can find on google about it is another person who was born there in 1851. Thank you 🙂