Symptoms

I agree ... it is a bit of a maze. Say a newby Googles "Bedlington", then selects the .co.uk choice they land on the Home Page with its recent content displayed. However, to get to the Forums (IMO the most useful part of the site) they have to choose Discussions ... a tad convoluted. I reckon most newbies come here looking to do some family history research only to be presented with local news stories ... it's not OBVIOUS where the heritage stuff is. Maybe some simple relabelling might help ... perhaps BOLD buttons saying 'Discussion Forums' with another saying 'Town History' directing newbies to the more interesting places, perhaps the reasons they came here in the first place. Just a thought and in no way a moan.

Looks as they're about to start building - see article in The Engineer today: https://www.theengineer.co.uk/interview-britishvolt-cto-allan-paterson/ I started this as a new topic as I couldn't find a previous post about it (I did do a 'rough and dirty' search).

Do former miners still get a 'free' coal supply? If they do what's going to happen now that the UK Government has banned the sale of coal to the public?

_pauls - Wear to Blyth, and Wear to Tees both less than your 45km according to my rough and dirty measurements on Google Maps. If the allowed area is a radius of 45km my suggestion above would work. Center the freeport in mackemland, then draw a big circle of 45km radius ... it would take in an area including Blyth in the North and Smoggieland in the South. If, however, the 45km is zone's diameter then I'm stuffed. The Guardian newspaper published an article this morning about Tory largesse that I questioned above; the piece contains a good graph (official Gov data). I know it's not about freeports but it shines a light on their methods. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/mar/03/sunaks-1bn-of-town-deals-will-nearly-all-go-to-tory-constituencies

_pauls - yes, I meant Wear. I suspect the Tees area was selected due to its wider industrial hinterland and closer connections to those manufacturing towns in Yorkshire. Perhaps, somebody might like to count the number of Tory MPs in those winning areas - maybe that was a consideration. When the scheme was first announced I compared the Blyth, Tyne, Wear, and Tees areas on Google Maps and did think that Blyth had lots going for it in terms of vacant sites and existing infrastructure, including a functioning railhead in the port itself. I doubted that Blyth would get the nod on its own due to a comparatively sparse industrial hinterland. Perhaps, a better choice would have been the Wear (central to the area) then draw the 'inclusion zone' which could have included the whole area ... North to Blyth and South to Tees.

So, the Smoggies got the Freeport ... Blyth, Tyne and Tees can continue to scratch a living.

So there was nowt on Front St or nearby? I never used any 'public library' in Bedders as all my borrowings were from the school library.

There's a thread currently in the Historic Gallery about the old Co-oP building at Bedlington Station. Was there ever an old Co-oP building similar to the one at the Station on Front Street; I can't remember? Second, was there ever a Public Library in Bedders back in the day ... again, I can't recall one from the 60s? I'm not talking about anything new.

Canny - you wrote: " Neither does it help that I don't possess one single iota av interest in anything more technical than a ball-point pen." So, perhaps my notebook method is the way to go ... leave it beside your PC and not in the kitchen drawer so it's to hand. Also, check to see if your virus protection software comes with a password manager included.

Canny - I write mine in a notebook. I bought 'The Personal Internet Address & Password Logbook' in Waterstones some years ago, although I'm sure it's available online. I always use a pencil to write the entries so when they change I simply rub them out and redo; pen would just mean loads of crossing outs. I know, I know, I know - security, security, security ... I take the view that if anybody broke into my house to gain access to my PC they could give me a good thrashing to extract the pins, codes and passwords anyway; so the notebook will save me from being tuned-up.

Eggs - I wondered about the 'benefits' of becoming SingaporeSouthofJockoland. See below: https://www.britishports.org.uk/FreeportsHub https://twitter.com/britishports/status/1330866362340741120

I hope all on here try to have a good time over the next few days and let's hope for better next year. With seasonal best wishes from Sym

The above reminded me of an earlier post of mine about the SS (as we always called it) and how amazed I was that any Government department could keep records (even trivial stuff) so efficiently for decades. Who transferred the information from our 'green cards' onto Eggy's magnetic tape as I can't recall seeing any computer terminals in the Council Office Annex ... maybe, the counter gadgie had a 'hidden' keyboard below the desk linked to The Ministry mainframe.

An article from the Engineer today about repurposing the old mines into 'green' energy sources: https://www.theengineer.co.uk/generating-clean-energy-from-the-coal-mines/

I've become a 'dog with a bone' over this Mechanics Institute business ... I've just spent four hours (FOUR HOURS!!!) looking at old issues of the Morpeth Herald reading about it and still more to absorb but as yet nowt concrete. However, to muddy the waters even further there's a reference to Bedlington Station Mechanics Institute, mind that could be just some lazy/confused junior Victorian journo getting his facts wrong. More to follow no doubt .... Perhaps we need a separate thread for this topic? Maybe it's too important to get mixed-up with pubs and inns.

I reckon Inspector 'Canny Lass' Clouseau may have uncovered a dastardly Victorian plot, namely, there could have been two Institutes. The one next to the Sun Inn 'explored' by Sym in the 60s and the Miners' one discovered by Canny wielding her magnifying glass. I have to agree with her that the extension plan I posted earlier does indeed look like the building beside Bedlington A pit. We need to find some old fella who might have supped in the Institute next to the Sun Inn to give us a clue to when it shut as a drinking establishment. Remember, my internal examination of the place in the 60s suggests it was in use unti maybe a short time before I got in there. More digging required!

Here's another snippet from The Freemason's Chronicle (see bottom right):

I read through that Doctoral Thesis (phew!) and found it very interesting but only a couple of mentions about our Mechanics Institute. It was founded in 1848 and closed in 1906 when it had 200 members (the last year when member numbers exist); most Mech Insts in the NE had closed by 1913. It's economic base and benefactor was the Bedlington Iron Works. You can read the Thesis here: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/5614/ but you'll need to download the .pdf document shown at the top of the page ... I can recommend the read as it opens the door for us into the Victorian drive for self-improvement for working men (and it was only for men); all most women had to look forward to was a life of drudgery back then. It clearly continued as a social club but no longer followed the purpose of it's founders, namely the pursuit of technical education.

I've been doing a bit of research on the Mechanics Institute and I'm currently reading a long dissertation some guy did for his Doctorate years ago on the history of Mech Insts. Ours, the one next to the Sun Inn took over the old courthouse and klink there and it was sponsored by the Bedlington Iron Works. I've got more details noted in my study but I ain't there at the moment so can't give dates. I'll try to do a summary and post it so we have some facts listed. The formation of Mech Insts was interesting national Victorian movement ... but more later.

Alan - It was up 'the grassy knoll' behind the War Memorial so your photo above is correct but the building I remember as the Mechanics Institute was behind what is now the Community Centre (perhaps it was an extension of the CC). I recall an open yard behind the building in the photo and a single height building which was the Institute; so, it formed a sort of L-shape with what's now the CC ... perhaps, both building formed the Inst. As lads in the mid-1960s we explored Bedders looking for mischief and once got into the old Institute. As it was a sinle storey there was a hole in the roof (the tiles had been removed) so we climbed up and dropped into the place ... It hadjust been abandoned!!! There were full sized snooker tables covered in dust, tables and chairs, a mahogany bar, mirrored shelves, etc. It was if they'd been supping the night before and just left it. Very strange. I recall another poster here some years ago talking about this too.

Here's a plan for the Mechanics Institute ... I think I downloaded it off the Northumberland Communities site.

Stunning photos! What strikes me is the apparent ranshackle nature of of the scenes, nothing plumb or level, and stuff lying all over. I realise that the guys would have installed the supports, etc. correctly and after a while the ground would have shifted and 'twisted' everything. I wonder if this environment would have been acceptable in our H&S culture?

Hi Sue ... yep, Terry made contact through this Forum. Look at the second post above ... that's Terry; you can send a personal message to him by sliding your curser over his user name TGH and click on message button in the box that appears.

As to Canny's confusion over "... publicans who appear to have had a second string to their fiddle ...". I recall reading years ago that many of the original ale houses were in private dwelling and that the wife of the main breadwinner would brew some jugs of ale* for immediate family. This expanded into to offering the ale to others for a price ... of course this brew had to be consumed soon after being made as it went off (this was before the use of hops to extend the life {and taste} of the ale). So perhaps this activity was formalised and acknowledged in census records. *remember back then that the drinking of water tended to be avoided in case you got ill (likely) and that ale drinking was seen as being a safe option.

Tonyp's earlier post about the vile Worthington E muck got me thinking about a challenge ... That impressive list of boozers elsewhere on this thread could be complimented by naming the breweries that owned them; I know that it'll be impossible to do it for many of them 'cos the old fellas that supped in them are long gone but I'll make a start. The Railway Tavern = Vaux (that vile Mackem stuff) I suppose the Clubs were a type of 'free house' so were able to sell stuff other that Federation Ales. I know there was a Cameron pub (that Smoggie stuff) but can't recall the name of the pub and of course loads of Scottish & Newcastle ones (Blue Star). Go on ... you've got nowt else to do with your time at the moment.