Blyth

[pityackafromblyth]

Carlos' coffee bar.  I do not know if his son Mick(?) is still around.  The coffee bar eventually became a fish and chip shop.
And what about the night club/coffee bar/ den of iniquity in the centre of Blyth - the Barbarossa ? They reckon if you got caught there in a raid, you spent 5 years in the state penitentiary.

[Michael Dixon]

 I am trying to ween myself off this trivia gossip, to concentrate on family research, but can't resist saying that the owner named his club after his beard " Barbarossa"

When I joined in it's early days- it was posh and boring. Didn't it have some religious context. Was it in Trotter Street, near Billiard Hall ?

Before Charlie (Robertson) had the wee shop in Cowpen Newtown, on Cowpen Road, his mother, Mrs Murray, ran it. Shop was sparse but it sold cigarettes in ones, with a free match !

I should have added that the 9 different routes to Newcastle from Blyth are run by one bus company- Arriva, I think other companies also run other routes.

Michael

 Michael

[Michael Dixon]

 Charlie Robertson in Bebside and Cowpen circles was known as a...... character !!

 Bebside Miners Institute/Bebside Welfare Hall used to put on concerts upstairs, ( before Bebside died).

One night a magician/hypnotist  tried to hpnotise the whole audience. Then after having his fun with us, he released us. But he couldn't snap Charlie out of his trance and even St John's Ambulancemen couldn't help other than carry him home, dressed up in female clothing.   The village was split on whether Charlie was a good medium or in cahoots with Hypnotist  ??

 Stop me, somebody !
Michael

[HenryWood]

 Stop me, somebody !
Michael

No! Keep it up! It's refreshing a rather clouded memory.

I joined that Barbarossa club too though I don't know why. (Was the owner Name deleted and didn't he tork all hep too, man?) A crowd of us used to go there for a coffee after closing time at the Station Hotel before heading off home. Waste of time as only coffee, coke and maybe other soft drinks available and he certainly knew how to take your eyes out with his "food" prices. Now, I'm remembering from a faulty memory here, but didn't he have a rather beautiful daughter? Maybe that was the attraction for us. That and the speakeasy hatch in the door, plus I think we all got our own door key, didn't we. How easily we were pleased in those days.

Nice tale about Charlie at the Bebside club too. Huge guy, huge laugh. 

[HenryWood]

I am trying to ween myself off this trivia gossip, to concentrate on family research, but can't resist saying that the owner named his club after his beard " Barbarossa"

When I joined in it's early days- it was posh and boring. Didn't it have some religious context. Was it in Trotter Street, near Billiard Hall ?
 Michael

Sorry, forgot about this part, location. I cannot remember the name of the street but to get to it, it was on a shortcut of side streets between the bus station and Regent Street. Enter side street with gents toilet on the left and the greasy spoon cafe on the right of the side street out of the bus station. Then turn right at the old Theatre Royal then next left into a really grotty street and the Barbarossa was on the right hand side.  Am I right? (And I never heard anything religious about it except the owner tried religiously to extract every single penny you had on you. And speaking of the owner, the first name I could not previously remember was it [*** *****]
(Sorry, I've just come across the rule of not naming the possibly still living so have deleted the name)

Next question, your starter for ten, what was the name of that cafe? It was next to the T&B garage.

[blythboy]

At least there are still shops in Cowpen and Newsham. Who remembers Ridley's shop in Princess Gardens? Two interconnected wooden sheds in the back garden and those gardens are not big. Mr Ridley was a shopkeeper in the Arkwright school of dealing with kids.

Also at the top of Walton Avenue was a Coop, a newsagent, a lady's hairdressers a chippy and Sarah's general dealer. Sarah had possibly the most untidy shop in Blyth but she sold everything and appeared to have everything in stock as well.

No shops in these two locations any more.

[pityackafromblyth]

For want of a better expression, and it is well known in Blyth, -' "Why yi bugga, mah," they've shifted aal the Blyth history ind ivrything else ti thi Lighter Side Forum. It is like hiding the Domesday Book.'

[Michael Dixon]

PYoB,

Us Bebside and Cowpen folk must have had a different from you Blythites . We said " Wewyubuggaman "

My father used to say to my mother " Where's me dinnah, woman man ? "

Silly Michael

[aspin]

I was in Blyth last night we had to pick up the works jeep and I was down the street where i used to go too when I was small beside the dairy
I forgot it again am I right in naming it Barris Hill

Just off the river

Elizabeth