Jump to content

The Arcade


Recommended Posts

56 minutes ago, Canny lass said:

Does anybody know where 'The Arcade, Glebe Road, Bedlington' was located? It appears on a document from 1938.

You aren't confusing Reading with Bedders are you?   Easy mistake, I know! ;) 

Quote

The Arcade Building, 11 Glebe Road, Reading. RG2 7AG

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have had a look at the old ordinance survey maps and there is nothing c. 1938 marked Arcade. There is a mission building and the 'Picture House'. Could that have been the 'arcade' before it was called the 'Prince of Wales'?

BB

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm doubtful that's right BB. It refers to a residence - 3, The Arcade, Glebe Road Bedlington. One of my relatives gives this as his residence in 1938. I also pasted the same info as you into Google and only came up with health centres on Glebe Road and Sanderson's Arcade, Morpeth. Can you post a link to what you found?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I may have found it! Having nothing better to do on a sunny day like today I've gone through all 741 pages of the 1911 census for Bedlington, District 2. It started in Netherton Colliery (where I was surprised not to find a Plessey Street but a "2nd Second Street") before moving on to Bedlington and the Mason's Arms Inn. It then took me for a walk up the High Street (as it was called than), down Glebe Road, up and down a great number of side streets and in and out of many yards before arriving at Glebe ROW (not road). This row has been up for discussion before so we know it was on the right hand side of Glebe ROAD heading towards Choppington. The Arcade seems to have been tucked in between  Tankerville Yard and Oliver's buildings and had only 7 dwellings. The Arcade may have been a name given to it by the residents as all use this name when filling in the census form. However, the enumerator himself simply calls it "Glebe Row".

The census took me on a return journey, from the boundary with Choppington via Glebe Road , along Ridge terrace and back, then down Hartford Road, calling in on all side streets, vicarages and police stations (where there were two prisoners) on the way. It continued as far as the Manse before heading off back down the High Street again to The Sun Inn where it somehow headed off towards Hartford bridge and my journey ended. What a lovely day out!

It gave a very different picture from the Bedlington we know today, in terms of housing, work and social conditions. On the one hand we have Hartford House with 32 rooms, inhabited by the mother and one son of the Burdon family together with eight staff (butler included). On the other hand we have the Old Hall,  where families of 5 and 6 persons - plus 2 lodgers - are living in 1-2 rooms, or a house in Catholic Row where a mother and her 4 children share their two rooms (one of which is the kitchen) with no less than 3 coalmining lodgers! They must have slept in shifts!

There was a diverse array of occupations outside of mining in Bedlington 1911. Everything from bookmakers to candlemakers, scavengers (working for the UDC), hawkers - one of them at the ripe old age of 84 years - and "colliery heap-keepers" who had "heap-lads" to help them. The mind boggles! I met one "chauffeur" on my journey, umpteen stable hands, a farm bailiff, several foresters and a couple of gamekeepers. It must have been very rural in those days.

Even more surprising was the number of people living in Bedlington who weren't born anywhere in the vicinity. Among its inhabitants in 1911, almost every county in England and Scotland were represented. It must have been a popular place.

 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Canny lass,where it says.."Colliery heap-keepers and Heap-lads"....,

For the benefit of those who might not know owt aboot pitwark,it wasn't referring to the actual pit heap...as in "spoil-heap".......

The "Heap" was an abbreviation for "Heap-stead",which were the surface buildings surrounding the shaft itself.

All activity was centred around the "Heap",from the full coal tubs being pushed out of the cage, by empty ones going into the cage.

The full tubs went into the tipplers,which turned them upside down,and in so doing,emptied their load onto a shaker-chute,which fed the coal onto the screening

conveyor belts.

The tipplers and screens were on two levels,and the person in charge of the whole of the surface area,including timber-yard,washery,etc,was called the "Keeker".

The heap-lads were obviously the lads who worked on the "Heap",under the charge of the "Keeker".[at least up in our pits,i.e.,it may have been different down

south,where lots of mining terms were different to ours.]

Just a thought!

Great bit of research you did!

I have memories of playing in the half-demolished terraced houses down Glebe road,after being at the Saturday afternoon matinee,no security barriers around the derelict buildings,it was a case of Friday night 5-0pm finish for the demolishers,doon tools,and away for a pint!......walls and floors left just hanging!![a great place for kids to play!]....probably around 1954-5..ish? [give or take a year or two!]

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...

Heh heh!! "Tippler"! I luv it Canny Lass!!..educashun's a wonderful thing,but it's great when ye can get a gud laugh at a misrepresentation...not being derogatory,just a gud laugh!

The only reason a posted it was cos most folk wud think it referred ti the actual pit slag-heap....who else wud anybody knaa different  if they weren't from mining stock?!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Yes - he lived at 1 Station Terrace and actually owned the house although I have no idea what he did in the way of employment. Although I think he would have been born earlier than that. it was sold for £450 in 1955 -- a bit different from house prices now.

Edited by pilgrim
updated
Link to comment
Share on other sites

that would be about right Vic - although I have no information about him. I do recall him as a tallish (I was about 4 yrs old so everyone was tall - grey haired fellow who I think said something about moving too retire?)

Edited by pilgrim
more info
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, pilgrim said:

I don't suppose you came across any reference to Fenwick Redpath? he was a great uncle and I think he moved to somewhere beside Stead Lane in about 1955

pilgrim - if you look in the Gallery - Historic Bedlington - Bedlington Village School - 1950 Class 2 - No 7 is Fenwick Redpath's son, Brian and I can confirm what Vic & Doreen have said, he lived at No 2 Hollymount Square. His brother, Jimmy (?) also lived in Hollymount Square, opposite end to Fen, just along from where HPW lived, probably No 51,2,3 or 4!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create a free account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


×
×
  • Create New...