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Hello Paul! Welcome to the forum. Look at the 1947 map which I posted above a couple of years ago. Howard Row was built in two blocks, with several years inbetween. The first block, the oldest of the Howard pit houses, is nearest the pit head and is where your father was born at nr.7 The numbers ran from 1-22 starting at the pit and going towards the social club. Your family may have lived there quite a while as there is a Lucas family at that address in 1911. I was born in 1947 at the other end of the street but have no memory of how it was because the family was möved to alternative accommodation shortly afterwards so that the houses could be demolished. I know, that at 3 yo I was still living the alternaive accommodation but the family must have returned to the newer colliery houses shortly after, because I started school at Netherton Infants at the age of 4½ in 1951. We lived then in Third Street. By then Howard Row and Yard Row no longer existed.They then seem to have been demolished a few years as the sites were overgrown with grass and bushes - a favourite playground area! The sites of the two blocks of Howard Row can be clearly seen in the ariel photo running north from the letter M up to the pit. Howard Row, nrs 1-22 were the smallest of the colliery houses with only two rooms. Yard Row consisted also of two rooms . The odd house had three rooms but this was because the residents built make-shift lean-toos over the outer areas However, the second block of Howard Row, nearest the social club was built with three rooms. Residents, even here increased some houses to four rooms using the same ingenuity as in Yard Row. As I said previously, I never saw these houses so yhe information I can offer is only what I've heard from older family members about living conditions in Howard Row.(my oldest siste was 20 years older than me). In his book on Netherton, Evan Martin shares this photo of Howard Row, presumably the gap between the two blooks. In the gallery you can find this photo which is reportedly of Clifton Row. I played with school friend in Clifton Row and can't remember it being as delapidated as this. Clifton Row was the newer, more modern of the pit rows before First-Third Street were built. I think this is Yard Row or even Howard Row. Both rows were built to the same plan I believe.

@Paul Lucas - I had never seen an image of Howard row posted on this site or any of the local Facebook groups. There are two albums in the Gallery on Netherton/Nedderton. Yesterday Malcolm Davison, Facebook group Bygone Bedlington, posted a photo of his grandmother outside Howard row in 1913. I have added his photo to the Gallery album - 'Netherton/Nedderton old photos 2'

Photo - 1913 - from Malcolm Davison - Facebook group Bygone Bedlington. Photo is of Malcolm's grandmother holding his father with neighbour Mrs Fitzgerald. Malcolm's grandmother lived in No 26 Howard Row.

@Jojo - photo without any text.

@Jojo - No 4 updated. I'm assuming your dad managed to buy a copy, if not I can post a copy without the names for you to download.

No 6 is Neil Clark and possibly Shirley Sissons for no 19

names for picture:- 2. Malcolm Crosby 13.Matthew Adamson 16.Ronnie Morgan 22.Margaret Sherlaw 27.Hazel Wade 34.Ann Hedley 35.Sheila Burns 37.Eileen Gair 43.Elizabeth Little

The Bower family lived in the terrace behind Bacci's...truly aroond in the Nyeuk...they had the two lorries,and ran the coal delivery business for years.Raffi had the red lorry,and Jimmy had the green one. Jimmy lived opposite my family in Hollymount Square when it was first built. The shop frontage to the left,below the bay window,was Jimmy Nicholson's electrical and tv repair shop.This pic was taken a while after the Dr Pit had been closed,the Ford Granada should give an approximate date of around 1968-ish,I would think,give or take a year or so..

When My Wife and Me got wor first hoose,in 1970,at West Terrace,in Stakeford,our next door neighbour was Ed Fearon's Parents.A lovely old couple! He is instantly recogniseable in this pic..never changed!

Hi Alan,lovely to see this [previously unseen by me] pic,which has my lovely Niece,No 14,Elizabeth Bell..["Liz" to all who know her.]..on it.She was,and still is,the most gorgeous personality you could ever wish ti experience if you met her..really lovely...wor Liz! Also great ti see is Gary Usher,who went on to be one of wor "Cross-Marra's",[on thi oncoming shift after wor shift ended],at Bates Pit,in the Three-Quarter seam..not lang afore pit closure in 1986. Gary and his two Marra's,who were freshly-trained for facework,[rookies!]...asked me if we wud pick them up as Cross-Marra's on a new Coalface,that we were gonna win oot. I put it ti thi rest of my Marra's,who were a bit dubious,cos it was really rough conditions,wet,bad roof stone,...not like the training gallery where they just come from,but I convinced them ti give the youngins a go at it,so we aal agreed. Gary and he's Marra's made a few cock-ups,at the start,bringing criticism,from the other shifts,and aa had a hard time persuading them ti let the youngin's get stuck in. After a week or two,they were amang the hardest working,conscientious,miners at the pit. Gud at the job,it was only a pity thatcher ordered the ropes ti be cut...spoilt the lives of a gud team of youngins,and a hope Gary sees this and smiles...thinkin' back!! Billy McGregor's Parents moved inti the Hoose me Mother-in-Law and her Family lived in,when age and ill-health took it's toll,and my Ma-in-law moved into a sheltered bungalow. I lived in for the first two years of marriage,before getting our own place. Billy went on to tour the Country with his Elvis Presley tribute band,for many years.

Hi Alan,if No 19 isn't my gud aad nybor and friend's Son ..Lee Muter...aal eat grass! Andrew Simm also lived in wor street and spent a lot of time in my hoose playing wi my Son,as did Lee.

Small world,Alan!..[a think ...am pretty sure..but not 100%..!]..one day,around 1963,I was getting ready to gaan doon ti Cambois,Sandfield Road,ti see one of me Marra's,and me Mother,oot thi blue sed,"Haad on Billy,aal come doon wi ye,and aal caal in ti see me Aunt Ada.."..when a asked where she lived she replied Sandfield Road..and that she hadn't seen her for a few years.[a thowt it was queer hoo a hadn't heard of her before!]. So we went ti Cammiss and a sed ta-ta when we parted company..[it turned oot that her Aunt lived a few doors away from me Marra,Geordie Stephenson,who sadly departed this life at a very early age..R.I.P. GEORDIE.] NOO! This pic has jolted me memory of that day..precisely because of the fact that me Mother telt me that her Aunt Ada was married to a fella whose surname was Calumboski!! A canna mind me Grand-uncle's first name noo..but a surname like that sticks in ya mind..so a bet Peter..[No 6],is a Cousin,once removed..[is that reet..?],of mine...probably ten or more years younger than me..more my youngest Sister's age...[who is ten years younger than me..]. It would seem to me to be a very rare name to have in a small community,so if Peter sees my comments,it may be that I have the relationship slightly mixed up...as to "Second Cousin"..or.."Once removed"...etc,but I am 100% on My Mother's Aunt Ada being married to a Calumboski. Aye,a small world..as I said.....!

Confirm 26 is NOT Pat Brown

I was confused with your comment about someone called JDJ Metcalf being the prominent and well respected breeder of Bedlington Terriers. As you state in your comment on your photo, the character you are referring to is Ned Metcalf. Jane D J Metcalf was Ned's wife and it would appear that the licence for the Gardeners Arms was in her name, as can be seen on the pub sign in your great photos of the pub. (I got this information from the 1939 census.)