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It has been converted into a house now.

Number 6 is Bill Moore. My brother!

Thats Clifton Row in the picture .brings back memories of young harry saddler sitting on the fence between their house and ours telling me he was eating worms when it was spaghetti i lived in no26 i was only 4 or 5 at the time

I believe some graves are still in the garden of the house. The graveyard opposite is obviously still there. Me and My Mam had a walk around it!

The rest of the names from Graeme Ogle's dad :-

Karen is my niece!

No.6 My Dad Bill Moore. No mistaking himx

Heh heh! Alan,wud be a queer sight seeing unmentionables fleeing through the air,and landing on sumbody's windscreen gaan at sivinty mile an oor!! Hope ye are keeping areet,Cath not grand at aal..me like ye,lossing me legs and struggling ti keep vertical! Cheers Alan,it's Bait-time! Bill.

25-4-2022..Frankie,who abandoned his Windy Driller,when thatcher gave the word to switch off and pull out..switched off,and said "and ye can stop theor!" Frankie,a smashing Marra of mine,and me other Marra's,sadly passed away a few years ago,leaving this legacy. R.I.P. Frankie.

Update..4-2-2022...and no-one from govt or any other official body has come on to dispute me about Archbold having a personal vendetta againdt Bates Colliery in the 1980-s..Now the Russian President Putin has invaded Ukraine,and is cutting oil and Gas supplies off to the West,our energy prices are rising by thousands of pounds a year,it will be interesting to see if we re-open some of the drier pits in Nottingham and other places...gotta dae summick!!

Hi Folks,a bit late,but just caught up with one! Around 1962,my lass got me a camera for Christmas,and to gain experience and to learn how to drive it,[yes!..Shutter speed,aperture,focus,depth of field..rings!],I went around taking reference pics of objects and places which I knew would always be the same...including this stone. Well ,I knew about this stone from being a kid about 10 yrs old..maybe younger!,cos us kids used to play all over Bedlington,Cemetary included! Now my theory of objects I thought would never change,is blasted to hell! I was saddened to see how this stone has deteriorated over the the last 60 years,since I took those pics! Us kids always thought that the figures at each side were Werewolves!...I learned later in life that they were Gargoyles,and the purpose of them was to ward off evil spirits!..I stand to be re-educated on that one Canny Lass! If ever I can find those old photos,I will post them,and you would see how much this stone has deteriorated,partly due to vandalism..the chips taken out of the top ridge suggests that modern kids haven't been like us kids,and just played,they have been destructive..we just used to climb the conker trees or play hidey seek in the dark neets!.. 1741..it's stood there a long time eh?!

OMG I can't believe it! Miss Ramshaw was one of the most inspirational teachers. She taught Latin. Instilled in me a life long love of languages.

I learned to swim/doggy paddle in the deep pool near the stepping stones copying the whippets that my father trained. We also went from Westridge to Humford a few times. I never needed an inner tube around the waist to be able to float and I still don't. I've grown my own!

Info updated.

It's not easy with these old B&W photos even with specs on!

I think it's more likely to be the village school because of the stone work. The colliery school was brick built (with bricks from Choppington Brickworks if my memory serves me right). The bricks were of uniform, standard, size as can be seen in other photos of the colliery school. These are irregular in shape and size and they look more like stone.

I think its the colliery school

My Grandad and my great uncles are in this photo great uncle Tommy Swann second from the end Joseph Swann Snr and Billy Swann 4th and 5th

Front row third from the right is my dad Joseph Swann

Billy Ward took our wedding photos too, St. Paul's Choppington, then at the Bedlington Bottom Club in 1974.

That isn't me. My name has a 'i' in it. The Jammy in the photo has a brother called Melvyn. I can't help with the date. Sorry

I would have been 6 then, and moved to bedlington so ended up in westend infants school . Thanks for looking them up anyway brings back memories of running down the front of Clifton row going to school

Ive no idea who the two guys on the left were , i assume they were pit manager's

Billy Swann my great uncle is the one on the left Joseph Swann ( my grandfather) in the middle and Tommy Swann my great uncle on the end . My grandad was a winder at netherton pit , not sure what my great uncles did . Im not sure of the year but i know my grandad died in 1964 age 72 . Sorry i cant give you any more information. The picture is now at woodhorn museum with other items from when my father died in 2013

@Jennifer Ann AtkinsonI assume your family has this photo. If you could give me any info eg. the year - who the two guys are on the left as you look at the photo etc. I will add the info to the photo. With the info we have so far :-

The three brothers in the picture are my great uncle Billy Swann Joseph Swann ( my grandfather) and my great uncle Tommy Swann

'Pop' Short in the Upper Bensham Seam 1955

Top right holding banner - Peter Muldoon 2nd from left front row - Jimmy Redpath Centre front row holding scroll - Anty Thompson I can confirm Lawrence Thompson and Stuart Young are correct. I recognise the others but cannot remember their names. They were committee members of the Doctor Pit branch of the NUM

Reverse: JHM (Jimmy Millne) in arms? (in background?)

Photo from James T. Tuck's book "The Collieries of Northumberland"

Well that sorts that out! Lol

BigLoada :- Night Fly...dont get WIlma started on pit stories, I have had over 30 years of his tales....lol! Nah, they are great really! If you want to know anything about working down the pit, ask him morrisoxford61 :- Wilma you should write down all the stories about your life working in the mines or even record them on video or dvd I reckon if you visited schools and sat them down and told them about it the children would listen and learn, its their history after all be nice for the great grandchildren to open and album adn see pictures and read about it. My father did a book with lots of pictures about his working life and gave it to my then small daughter, she now has a daughter of here own, one day when he is not around she can openit and read about some one she has heard about and met but was not old enough to know high pit wilma :- Yes Morris,that's why Big Loada,and his brother,have nothing between their ears but coaldust.....!! I used to tell them stories from them being just old enough to talk, drawing pictures of coalcutters,etc,before they even knew what a windy-driller was...! Seriously,i do believe in keeping that part of our heritage alive,cos kids nowadays have no idea about the hardships or dangers of mining. Try to tell them about the miner who fell out with his wife,and weren't speaking to each other....so she would write on the "bleezer",to tell him his dinner was in the oven,and she was away to her Mother's! "Bleezer"?......!! Chek out my responses to your comments on other pics in my set. Cheers,and thanks for taking an interest! morrisoxford61 :- no problems, its wonderful to find out about the heritage and history of mining being a city boy its all alien to me I am going to take my grandson down the big pit and Bleanavon later this year, he is only 5 but I am sure it will leave a mark on him my father worked as a civil engineer and had a keen interest in industrial archeology so from an early age I was able to appreciate and respect the work done by these men Slippy Cundy @:- Wilma they did that to us at Ashington!!!! First time down, in The Duke Shaft inside a cramped small cage. I thoroughly enjoyed it but there were a few who didn't want to go back in it...... I'll never forget what it looked like down there - perfect brick arch roadways with a strange breeze blowing along. An unusual smell combined with the distant sound of machines. Hundreds of machines. Our instructor told us to enter a doorway off from the main roadway - it led us into a fully equiped classroom!! Imagine a classroom with no windows and you get the idea. We were then led around on a short wander through the old workings where the mine began. 6 foot high seams (with some lower) and narrow railway tracks. We were shown conveyor systems, why bolts in a mine face one way, explosion suppression systems - balanced planks of wood with lime dust on them etc. That tally needs looking after mind - watch that hole doesn't spread. high pit wilma :- Heh heh!! Stone dust barriers eh?!! Yeah,you should have been a deputy in a district,when an awkward H.M.Government Mines Inspector was doing one of his frequent visits......[went by the nickname of "Split-pin"...because of his rather lean physical stature....!] There were many other inspectors,like "Split-pin"..,who,instead of taking notice of the atrocious working conditions that men and ponies had to endure,and bollocking the management,to get something done about it,[ponies trailing heavy girders and machinery over bare rough ground,because there were no rails laid,in mothergates,for instance..],they would come in and fine you for throwing your bait papers down at the bait-hole,[no bins down there..you know!]. But some would ask the deputy technical questions such as... "what is the minimum quantity of dust required,and how many barrier shelves would you erect in a 12 x 8 ft arched roadway,where there are at least 30 men in the district,with an air quantity of at least 12 cubic yards a second,flowing at 50 ft per second............" and......."how far from the caunch would you erect the barriers...?" ...I'm not kidding you,there were a lot of what we used to refer to ,[politely...]..,as "idiots.."!! You might have been in a coalface,with sea water teeming in through breaks in the strata,the roof breaking up severely,falls of roof threatening the men's lives,a severe shortage of timber planks and props etc,and these so-called "law-enforcers",would come in,with the "bible" of regulations,under their hats,and absolutely no idea about mining at all!! When i came back into the N.U.M.["onto the tools"],after seven years of Deputy-work,i was sitting one day,getting my bait,against an air-receiver,[a big one],getting my wet clothes dried,with the heat from the tank,[illegally,but everyone did the same..!],when the colliery Manager,and the Inspector,came in and sat down beside me,for a short rest. We cracked on a bit,[the Manager was a nice bloke,very well liked..], when i suddenly noticed something glowing around the Inspectors wrist,out of the corner of my eye,in the darkness... Yep..!! A RED L.E.D. DIGITAL WRISTWATCH!...[when they were first invented,back in the late 1970's/early 1980's.] AN ILLEGAL ELECTRICAL DEVICE,WHICH DIDN'T COMPLY WITH THE MINES AND QUARRIES ACT,ON FLAMEPROOF EQUIPMENT!!..ON AN INSPECTOR'S WRIST..! 'NUFF SED..!! high pit wilma :- You always put girder fish-plate bolts in facing outbye. "Why? " So the salvage men had easy,and safe access to the nuts,when it came to removing them,during salvage operations,it mean't they didn't have to lean into exposed roof,to put the spanner onto the nuts,and also,of course,WE didn't have the same risks either!! There were lots of little common-sensicle things a miner had to consider,and do,in the name of safety! Good point you made there Paul!! Kevnorth :-Lol Paul & Wilma you have both brought back my school leaving days to life, I too followed my dad down the pit after a short training session at Darnley Road school and a couple visits to the underground training centre at Ashington and one underground visit to Shilbottle I went on to work in the stores at first then as an electricians mate at Lynemouth working with a maintenance team, it was a grand job for learning about mines we would go into faces that had been shut down for maintenance and we had the run of the face. Of course Lynemouth was a dream to work at with it's high roadways and seams and I can still remember the feeling of seeing the massive machines used to hew the coal and transport it from the face. Lynemouth was two collieries in one or thee counting Ellington I always prefered working at the drift side with it's long manriding conveyor belts and sets to the old side where you had to decend in the cage! Oh those were the days! high pit wilma :- Thanks Kev! I met a canny fella at North Shields,a few weeks ago,works at the opencast at Ashington,over from where the workshops were,and guess what he told me...!!! They are down to the first shallow seams,pulling pit tubs and rails,and cables, [and god knows what else by now],by the dozen!! Wait till they reach the abandoned coal-faces,and start pulling shearers and armoured face conveyor pans out...!!![like i've said all the time,millions of pounds were left down there to rot..] steve chaplin :- can any of you lads help me with getting some brass tallies i collect, cheers charlie ex newdigate/ keresley pits 02476366732 / 07591155419 cc.2463@yahoo.com Slippy Cundy :- steve chaplin Ebay? There's usually loads on there. steve chaplin :- Hi, I look on their, but im mainly after warwickshire collieries ie; binley, arley, griff clara & others cheers m8 steve (how do i get a picture on instead of the grey face, ive uploaded but can't move it on here) Slippy Cundy :- steve chaplin You have a picture on now. I don't think any of the users on here actually collect tokens and tallys as such (the one above has huge importance to the family ) and really can't help as such. steve chaplin :- k paul, ive about exhausted other avenues, thought maybe some of the people might have'em cheers m8 high pit wilma :- Hi Millie! Thanks for your visit. Lots of tallies would have been chucked away with disgust for thatcher and british coal. Some lads i worked with kept them for thier kids,with foresight,as i did also,only mine isn't traditional,as i have already explained. I'm now pleased i had the foresight to get some pics for posterity,but seriously regret not taking any of Choppington "High" pit,where i started from school at 15 years of age. Blythboy :- My dad, Tommy (Tucker) Henderson worked at Bates from the war's end till he died in 1979. Fantastic pictures and many memories. What pisses me of is the Google maps picture of the old Bolckows wharf, where a ship is unloading coal. most probably from Russia. Underneath that heap of coal are almost limitless reserves of UK coal. The UK still uses circa 50 million tonnes of coal per annum the vast majority of which is imported; yet the coal is piled above a viable coal reserve. As you will recall, Bates employed about 2,000 men and Ashington over 5,000 in their heyday. Thus, if the UK mined coal seriously again the circa 30 million tonnes imported would equate to circa 12 Bates and 12 Ashington collieries. Alan Slippy Cundy :- Blythboy I couldn't agree more! Yes coal is a dirty fuel but there are many ways around that! high pit wilma :- Hi both you lads,and thanks for your comments! Whey, it's what aav sed aal alang,tha's mair than 60 million tons of virgin 5' high clean low sulphur content clean coal lying under the north sea around Bates colliery alone! We would have been mining it for the last 25 years[since 1986],if thatcher -the hatcheter hadn't killed our industry and communities. I'm convinced there was some personal clandestine financial gains to be had from somewhere by thatcher,for her to carry out such a murderous deed to our country. Years ago,maybe 40-odd years,i saw a book in a local shop window,with the title ........ ...."The Lynemouth colliery scandal", and it referred to a period in the colliery's history whereby an official at the pit had agreed contracts with mining machinery companies in return for gifts,holidays,cars etc. The Manager of Bates colliery told me and my two marra's that he was of the opinion that Mr Archbold [the then area Director for the NCB IN Northumberland],had a "personal vendetta against Bates Colliery,and wanted it shut down as quick as possible"[and i quote!] Noo,ever since then,i've been convinced that Archbold was involved in a similar position,seeing as HE ALONE ordered complete sets of Face supports,which were quite safe in other pits and locations where conditions were good,but were proved to be absolutely useless in the Three-Quarter Seam at Bates Pit. There were times that the Chock-fitters had to change as many as 70 chock legs in a week,on one face alone,due to them actually bursting open like a peeled banana. Often the severe roof pressure at the goaf end of the chocks,pushed the whole chock-line forward,into the face-line,flattening as many as 80 chocks,fully onto the floor,like crushing a beetle underfoot....which took months to blast out and replace all the damaged chocks........it was proved in time,that it was quicker to just abandon the whole face,advance the roads,and win a new face out and install it with new chocks. Only thing was,they used the same chock-types again,which was a disaster! Finally,i was on the development team who won out a new face called 50B's and we installed "Revlem" chocks on,which had "grasshopper- leg" side braces on,and these chocks held the roof amazingly,which then made the face very profitable,with very little if any damage to contend with. When i asked the manager why we couldn't get these chocks for the other new faces we were winning out,he replied,and i quote word for word...."You know they're good,and i know they are good,but Mr Archbold is my Paymaster,and if he says we put the ordinary 6-leg chocks on.......we put them on!" I pressed the safety issue with him,and he shrugged his shoulders and said to try telling Archbold about that. Now it makes you wonder why,for a few years,we were installing face chocks,which were known to be dangerously unfit for the job they had to do in those conditions,when all the time we could have had very safe chocks installed....not forgetting that every shear that was taken off,it took sometimes a week or more,to advance the whole chock-line,ready for the next shear..........no wonder Archbold wanted it closed down,i bet somebody was on his tail from higher up,i just wish i could meet him and put my feelings to him personally! bewildebeeste :- high pit wilma Many interesting tales and bits of information on this thread. I'm not surprised about the issue over the chocks....any excuse to get the government what it wanted. As someone who wasn't old enough to realise what was happening regarding the murder of our industry at the time, It's Maggie's regime that I hold responsible for everything being owned by foreigners these days. Now more than 40% of the UK's listed firms are foreign owned - so essentially we're all working for foreign shareholders who have no compunction in rising prices by 8% or so when they see fit (am thinking primarily of utilities - legalised thievery is what I call it).... I also blame the same administration for a large part in the breakdown of society ("there is no society" remember?) into a bunch of self interested, unthinking arse lickers who divorce themselves mentally from the consequences of their workplace actions in order to please their immediate superiors. It starts with teaching kids that simply passing an exam is enough to suceed - never mind instilling a sound work ethic or passing on the joy of learning - and I'm sure you've all seen how cynical and ultimately destructive subsequent governments' target driven education policies have been. I despair at the path my own generation has been led down and what it will lead to for future ones. Ok...rant over high pit wilma :- Thanks a million Bewilderbeeste! I'm 70 yrs old next year,and i've never ever wished i was just a young lad again,as i have been really content with my life,hard as it was. BUT.........i sort of would have been happy to be around,when the time comes....and they DO go back down to get the coal we left....AND find all the machines etc that i have ranted about,JUST to prove that i have told no lies.!! Mind,all the old pitmen who know these facts to be true,hopefully,will tell stories to thier children's children,and hopefully,keep our heritage alive. I have spoken to miners from Wales,Scotland,the Midlands,Derbyshire,and lots of other places,since our industry,and our communities,were destroyed by thatcher-the-hatcheter,and each time we have compared stories,the end result was the same....i.e......tales of millions of pounds worth of mining machinery abandoned to rot underground. This is Nationwide...and is a very serious situation,and the government has virtually just ignored,nay,covered up on the matter. But a fella i spoke to recently,said,"Just wait till next year!" When asked what he meant,he replied that the thirty-year rule was up,and all the archived files will be available to the press and the public.........now THAT might just put the cat among the pidgeons!!! I can't wait!! Cheers and thanks Beeste,for your kind comments.