Blyth History.

[pityackafromblyth]

The Queen's ||Jubilee is not far off, but who can remember the day that she acceeded to the throne.)
It was 9th Feb. 1952 and I was a pupil at Newsham Junior School. I remember 2 teachers being Mr. Carr, and Mr. Hebron.
On that morning we had just entered class and the register was completed, and then.... the Headmaster entered our room, declaring that we all had to go home as HM the King had died.)
I forget how many days school were closed, but the following year on Coronation Day there was a street party at New Deleval opposite the old school. It was a damp wet dat in Blyth.

[Yossarian]

Hi everyone.

I have compiled a blog post relating to Blyth, and I was kindly given permission to use a photo of the Gladstone Arms in the article. It is quite a long piece, which I think would benefit from a second image to break up the text. Ideally, I'd like a segment of street map showing those nine pubs that stood outside the shipyard gates in Blyth. I have no idea regarding the availability of such an image, nor on copyright issues, so I'm wondering if anyone can help me on this.

Thanks for reading   

[Phodgetts]

I thought you all might like to see this old photo dating to the 1880s! Portrait of an unknown woman taken at the Blyth & Tyne Photographic Institue on Sussex Street at Blyth. A William Anderson Hunter (originally of Alnwick) owned and operated the studio, he was there on the 1871 census aged 37 and living with his wife Wilhelmina aged 27. At that time they didn't have any children. Wilhelmina was from the West Indies, so I'm guessing there is quite a story to be told about William, his travels and how he met and married Wilhelmina. On the 1881 census the couple, still childless were living at number 8 Sussex Street, described as a 'house & shop' and Wilhelmina was a Tobacconist. They did have a 'niece' of William's living with them. I'd love to know more about the couple.

P

[belfordian]

The same William Hunter had a photographic studio for a short time at Belford. He married Wilhelmina Kelly at St George's Squ. London Oct-Dec 1866. I found several people with his name, perhaps it was a family name handed down. Curiously there was a William Anderson Hunter baptised in Jamaica in 1855 but parents names are not given.  They both seem to disappear from the census after 1891. Wonder what became of them.....

Belfordian

[Yossarian]

Hi - it's me again, and on the same old mission   

Once again I'm looking for a photo that someone may be kind enough to allow me to use in a blog post. I'm looking for anything to do with coal hoppers (trucks, as we called them).

I'm putting a lot of stuff from my childhood and teens down for posterity, and this particular post is all about illicitly riding on the coal hoppers that ran from Bates' to the Bella in my early teens. It's not something I'm proud of, and I shudder at the thought of the danger I was putting myself into, but it was part of my growing up (and I had plenty of confederates alongside me).

I also detail another trackside activity from that era that I was never responsible for, the tipping of coal trucks (as we called it). This was carried out by adults who needed money for beer at the weekend. They would run alongside the truck and somehow turn the lever that opened the hatch in the floor, allowing tons of coal to spill on the line.

I believe it's important to give a warts and all account of growing up at that time (1970s), and a suitable image would make the piece complete. I have uploaded the post with a free-to-use image of a Gronk diesel shunter with the black and yellow chevrons, that used to give me excited butterflies when I saw them appear under the bridge on Cowpen Road, but I believe that posterity would benefit from something more authentic, particularly a hopper with the grab bars and that handy steel step that helped us aboard - colour or monochrome.

Anyway, thanks for reading, and please get in touch if you can help.

Joe

[blythboy]

Re pictures of Bates coal waggons.

Look up Batess on the Durham mining museum website, many pictures there.

[pityackafromblyth]

Death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, ... did she ever visit Blyth ?  I recall that she did visit Whitley Bay, which was quite some years ago.
Lying in bed on a night and before going to sleep, and searching my brain for family memories, I realised that both my Grandmothers lived through the reigns of 6 sovereigns - Victoria; Edward VII; George V; Edward VIII; George VI; and then Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

[pityackafromblyth]

Here on the Northumberland section there is a new subject, posted by Belfordian, - Church Street, Blyth.  There are 2-3 links in that post which relate to old maps.  Curiosity on my part - I linked on one and found that there was a Blyth Ferry just on the south side of the Dun Cow pub.  About the 1850s, prior to the High Ferry (chain ferry), and the 'middle' ferry (?) which took you over to the staithes near the Seven Stars pub.
Another gem discovered regarding Blyth.
The links in this were posted by Jon_ni. Apologies from me and many thanks to Jon_ni

[Phodgetts]

As I understand it, there were three fords across the river at Blyth. The three ferry crossings basically matched the old fords as the river was dredged to allow for larger ships to enter the harbour. Originally the High Ford at High Pans, the Middle Ford at Cowpen Quay and the Low Ford at Low Quay, they became the High Ferry, the Middle Ferry and the Low Ferry respectively. Once upon a time a long time ago the River Blyth was described as a shallow trout stream, tidal of course but not deep. In our modern day we think of fords being dry at some point, enabling us to cross them, but back in the day most fords would have meant taking your shoes off and rolling up your trousers or hitching up your skirts with water depth varying from ankles to thigh deep.

P