Blyth History.

[Pete E]

My grandfather, George Oliver (1890- 1980) used to tell me that as a young lad he would play pitch and toss and when the "polis" turned up everyone would scatter, running into anybody's home to escape getting caught. Looks like many others were up to the same thing. Henry Waters I believe might be a great uncle. Anybody else related to one of these, "delinquents"? Article from Morpeth Herald 17 October 1891.

[peteloud]

I remember that in the 1950s there was an area in the pit heaps of New Delaval pit that was called 'Gambler's Den'. 

When you walked from Newsham to Bebside on the New Delaval side of the railway line you came to the pit heaps on your left. Halfway along the heaps was an area where the pit heaps were red, I presume due to having been on fire.  We kids called that area 'Red Rocks' and often played there.

In this area there was a depression where on a Friday evening men would gather, and we kids assumed, gambled.

[Cowpen Quay Exile]

Mathers had two shops , both on Regent Street

[enak]

I have just found this site and wondered if the following was of any help to anyone.
Post 33 mentioned Harrington family possibly having a shop. Alice Harrington had a shop on the corner of William Street and Plessey Road which was a lending library. I THINK she had a daughter, Jean.
Ref. Post No. 90
Re the two shops in Bowes Street:
One was a ladies clothes shop and next door was the children’s shop. As far as I remember the mother ran the ladies shop and her son ran the children’s shop. I THINK they lived in Newcastle.
Another query was about fish and chip shops. Cosomini’s fish and chip shop was on the right hand side of Plessey Road going towards Newsham, just before the “first gates”. If I remember correctly George Morgan had the other fish and chip shop, possibly over “second gates”. When he sold the business he bought a newsagents further down Plessey Road on the corner of Bohemia Terrace opposite Broadway Field. (It is still a newsagents.)

[pityackafromblyth]

enaK, Many thanks for your post re the Harringtons.  I was positive that there was such a shop, and also family in that area.  My post did not furnish any further information re them until you have posted.  Why the name Harrington sticks in my memory is because my father was an electrician at Crofton Pit, and amongst the names of his co-electricians which he used to mention was - Frankie (?) Harrington, and also Tommy Laws, who lived at Cambois.
I hope your post jogs memories of others here on Blyth History, and loosens a few more brain cells.

[TriciaK]

Interesting post, enak.
I don't remember the Harringtons - what date would that be?
But remember the chippie we went to on Plessey Road just before Broadway field (on the right going towards Newsham.)
btw, when were the 'Avenues' built? Whenever it was, they were well built because they still look smart now.

[peteloud]

TriciaK,

If you check my website with old maps of Blyth,
http://www.peterloud.co.uk/photos/Northumberland/Blyth/Maps/Blyth-Old_Maps.html
There is a map, c.1922 which shows the first few houses of First Avenue.

[TriciaK]

Thanks Pete - that sounds about right. I used to cycle to BGS via the Avenues from Kingsway from 1947, and the whole estate was busy and occupied then.
Not really relevant, but we're currently living in an ex-council house in Tyneside, and the building quality and internal finish are superior to many privately built houses I've seen.

[pityackafromblyth]

A site which I discovered 2 days ago is - www.co-curate,ncl.ac.uk  and searching I found "Blyth At War."  During the First World War the Illustrated Chronicle published photographs of soldiers and sailors from Newcastle and the North East of England. These have been made available by Newcastle Libraries.  There are dozens of photos of such men and details of what regiment, etc., they were in; and whether they were killed or wounded.
Related pages are : 'Cowpen at War'; 'WW1 Searchlight emplacments. Blyth' ; 'Kitty Brewster at War.' 'Blyth Submarine Base'; etc.etc.
The web address which I have posted above is correct, i.e. w.....ncl.ac.uk  Note is it 'ac' before uk