The Small Town that Shrank the World

Early trans-Atlantic cable routes

Bedlington is an ex-mining town in South East Northumberland, England, world famous for the distinctive Bedlington Terrier breed of dog. However it is undoubtedly the almost completely unsung cradle of the Modern Railways. The Bedlington Iron Rail now spans the land masses of the globe. Complimenting this the Bedlington Engine Works, proprietor Michael Longridge, built about 200 of the earliest locomotives in close association with Robert Stephenson. A significant number of Bedlington locomotives were used to initiate public railway systems in other countries.

Amongst its other famous sons and daughters is Sir Daniel Gooch, chief engineer of the Telegraph Construction Company, who in 1865 and the subsequent year was responsible for the very first successful Under-Ocean Communications Cables spanning the Atlantic between Ireland and Newfoundland. This achievement reduced the time to send a message either to or from the new world from about ten days to a few minutes.

Sir Daniel Gooch plaque - Part of the Bedlington Heritage Trail

In at the very beginning of both rapid mass transportation and near-realtime intercontinental communication, it is appropriate that Bedlington was also one of the first UK towns to have its own community website at the start of the Internet revolution.