Philip Hodgetts recently contacted the site to comment on Fred Wagstaff's memories of North Blyth Steam Shed and Cambois Diesel Depot. Phil's quite obvious enthusiasm for Blyth is infectious - his love of the Northumbrian town shines through, and so I am pleased he has agreed to input his childhood memories on this site. Although Phil was born long after Blyth's heydays as a major port, his research into the compilation of this page has been an interesting journey for him - and a most rewarding one for the both of us. Indeed, it is encouraging to find a relative youngster (Phil was born in 1968) doggedly determined to investigate Blyth's place in history and share it with others. The page has grown from a tiny seed of an idea based on a superb 1934 LNER Plan of Blyth that Phil purchased on eBay (see below). Perhaps some readers may find a few inaccuracies along the way, therefore if you wish to discuss the contents of this page, Phil's email address is at the bottom of the page. Meanwhile I'll let Phil take up the story...    

(Above) This is the 1934 map of LNER-owned property around Northumberland's Blyth harbour and river. The LNER property is marked in red whereas other private railways have no colour. The map itself is quite fragile and it is printed on what I can only describe as greaseproof paper. The map is not on the usual alignment since the North is off to the left in the top left corner of the map. Therefore, working our way from left to right (north to south) we have initially the West Staith (with spouts 17-20) protruding into the River Blyth on a more or less north-south alignment. To the north of this staith was a large selection of LNER sidings but for some reason they have not been included in this map. However, the map does show the village of North Blyth with the vast array of sidings that were used to shunt loaded coal wagons out onto the North Staith (spouts 9-16) and return empties. The sidings also had a connection into the Hughes Bolckow breakers yard, which can be clearly seen on the map, along with North Blyth Engine Shed (52F) opened in 1897. The Cowpen Colliery Railway (Cambois Pit Branch) is shown passing by the sidings along the shoreline to the private staithe of Cowpen Coal Co. spouts 1-4. On the South Blyth side of the river (again starting from the left and norh the town) we have the Cowpen Colliery (Bates Pit) complex of trackwork including their own staith. Moving south we have the original Cowpen Quay, which became the Cowpen Dry Docks, which also had two shipbuilding slipways. Blyth Station is prominent in the centre of the map, with the South Staith heading out past Low Quay and Quay Road (with spouts 1-8) before turning away from the riverside through the mass of sidings adjacent to Ridley Park from which access could be gained to the Blyth Harbour Commission's network of lines serving the various quaysides and timber yards to the South. The LNER then heads away from Blyth past Cowpen Colliery (Mill Pit) in a southwest direction back to Newsham (pronounced News-um) Junction.The aim of this page is to break the map up into sections and attach old photos taken at various points along the way so that a visualisation of the harbour and rail network can be built up in the minds eye. It hasn't proved to be the easiest undertaking, but for those of you who are old enough to remember Blyth Harbour in its heyday, and have arrived at this page by looking up the town on the web for old time's sake, it might rekindle memories of an era long since consigned to history.

(Above Left- Above Right) An enlarged section of the 1934 LNER map showing the lines serving Blyth station, along with the goods yard and the six-road South Blyth engine shed. Although the coaling stage and turntable are not shown, it is clear from the track plan that it would make a wonderful prototype for a model railway layout, since there are various options for a fiddle yard - or even a continuous circuit that includes the South Side Staiths. Get out the balsa wood! - or if you're an N-gauge modeller matchsticks will do, if you're dabbling in Z-gauge the best of luck! (Above Right) Track plan of the Cowpen Colliery Bates Pit - an aerial view of the West Basin showing the siding serving Bates Pit is featured further down the page. 

(Left) There is one non-railway feature on the map that jumps out at me immediately. It is the convergence of roads known locally as the Broadway Circle - a crossroads prior to 1924 before the roundabout was built and planted with trees. As a boy in the mid 1970s, I remember a family friend called Dennis, who was teaching his wife Betty to drive. On approaching the roundabout, he instructed her to go straight across - and so she did!  Taking Dennis at his word and yielding to no one, she mounted the kerb and drove straight over the island at 30 mph! Arriving at the other side she swerved oncoming traffic, before a shocked Dennis told her to pull over and asked why she had done such a thing, to which she replied - 'But you said go straight across!' - and, undeniably, he had. Dennis didn't have a leg to stand on! Needless to say, it was the last time he took his wife out in the car, but after a course of driving lessons she did pass her test eventually. Good old Betty!

Many other childhood memories have been sparked by finding such familiar places on this old LNER map. I didn't think I'd have much to say, or be able to add any more to what has already been posted on the web about the history of Blyth, but David has cajoled me (bullied me, more like) and having studied this map I am at a loss for words, in the sense that I now have too much to say! Where to start? Perhaps I should begin by describing how this map has reignited my passion for my old hometown of Blyth. I was born in Ashington in 1968 and brought up in the village of Cowpen, pronounced 'Coopen' - I should point out that cows are not cows in Geordie-land, they are 'coos'.
     Cowpen is situated on the outskirts of Blyth, and I had the privilege of having a whole host of riverside fields to play in during the long summer holidays; sadly most are now buried under industrial development.
     On seeing the network of lines serving the West Staithes at Cambois it immediately sparked memories of class 08 diesel shunters creeping out onto the long wooden structure with rakes of coal wagons. The coal was dropped into ships bound for all manner of destinations; often heading for Portugal and Ireland besides cities in this country such as London. Vessels arrived from the Baltic and Scandinavia, all of which made me wonder where in the world these places were, and as a small boy it gave me a hankering to go to sea.
    Blyth was very much past its best when I was growing up. The huge staiths in the town were gone, cropped down to their current level in 1966-67. All the staiths - barring the West Staith - ceased to be used in 1964 and after a few years lying out of use, they too were demolished before I was born and of an age where I could fully appreciate the importance of Blyth as a port and its place in history.

(Left-Above Right) This is me on the far left, bottom row in the Class of 1973 at Bebside Infants School. I was a happy little chappie then, just 5 years old.  Incidentally, Cowpen had various spellings since the name was first recorded. It was spelled Cupum between 1153-1195, Copoun by 1250 and then from 1271 to 1346 it was spelled Copun. It became Coupowne in 1428, then Coopon in 1560 until by the 19th century its present-day spelling Cowpen was established. It is believed the name Cowpen originates from an Old Norse-Scandanavian word 'kupa', which means cup or bowl. The word is also used to describe a cup-like depression or valley in the ground, and this might well make reference to the earliest saltpans in the area. The word 'kupa' also has connections with the Swedish 'kupa' meaning a small cottage or household. So both phrases 'at the hollows' or 'at the cottages' have relevance. (Above right) The Blyth Valley Council's heraldic insignia was first granted in 1922. The arms are based on those of the Borough of Blyth. Each emblem on the shield is displayed in triplicate to commemorate the three former authorities that merged into Blyth Valley. The three crowns at the top of the shield are from the arms of Tynemouth Priory. The ermine bar is derived from the Delaval family arms. The ships in base represent the Port of Blyth. The crest is a lion holding a miner's lamp. The gold lion comes from the Northumberland County Council arms. The black stripe suggests a seam of coal. The motto 'We Grow By Industry' is nice and succinct - if only it was true in today's economic climate, but quite the opposite is the case…

I went to Bebside Infants followed by Bebside Junior and Bebside Middle School. At the Middle School I was taught geography by the formidable Mrs Law - I am still having therapy 30 years later! In spite of her domineering presence, however, she instilled in every youngster the importance of Blyth's long history going back many centuries. We learned that between the 12th and 18th centuries several small settlements had been established in the area, the principal industries being coal mining, fishing and the salt trade. As far back as 1138, monks from Newminster Abbey near Morpeth exported salt from the pans on the north side of the River Blyth. This was influenced by a copious supply of local coal for use in the evaporation of the brine. Shipbuilding in the area dates back to 1748, and much can be found out about Blyth and its history as far back as Neolithic times on the web, so I will not dwell on it here. That said, whilst researching online, I came across several sites covering Blyth's history, but in particular I enjoyed reading Fred Wagstaff's memories of North Blyth Steam Shed and Cambois Diesel Depot. After contacting David and showing him the LNER map of Blyth Harbour, we decided between us to share a collection of old photographs of Blyth, which, in some instances may have been published before - but when pieced together with detailed sections of the map it is hoped they provide a pictorial history of the town long since gone.

(Left) The power station and Bates Colliery were the predominant things we could see from the bedroom window at the back of our house in Cowpen. We were fortunate to have lots of open fields to play in and the river too.In the second aerial shot below, you will see a small inlet to the river on the left edge of the image. The fields around both sides of that inlet used to be my playground. Now the majority of the area is built upon with industrial units and factories. I have vivid memories playing in those fields as a boy, and in particular I recall watching the Vulcan Bombers 'homing-in' on the Power Station chimneys during practise bombing runs from their Lincolnshire bases. They used the chimneys as a 'target', and once they had achieved their 'goal' and turned back out to sea, we had a spectacular view of the aircraft's belly and the vast Delta wing shape. Then there was the huge roar of its engines which left an indelible impression on this impressionable youngster. Little did I know what the planes were actually doing...I'm harking back to the Cold War years, and it still gives me goose pimples today to think that we grew up during a period of East-West hostilities and the threat of Nuclear Armageddon without fully understanding anything about it as a child. The Cold War ended in 1991 - or did it?

Compiling this page has been a fascinating journey down memory lane for me. The collection of pictures bring back memories of familiar sights and sounds as well as smells in some instances. The roar of the power station when they were venting steam...a sound that could be heard miles away; the winding gear of Bates whizzing around, and at night when my sister and I were supposed to be sleeping, we could easily read in bed by the lights blazing from the colliery. That was until mum and dad found out, and then we ended up with an old blackout curtain pinned across the sash window; even the light bulb was removed from its fitting - 'The purpose of bed is to sleep!' was the mantra. It reminds me of my excitement at bedtime when mum announced it was time for the 'blanket show!' I was, of course, expecting Punch and Judy or some such thing, but it turned out to be bed...and her so-called 'blanket show' did not hold its allure for long!I hope you enjoy visiting this page, even perhaps if you found it purely by accident whilst browsing the Web. The page is bound to evolve has time goes on.

(Above) We start the page with this interesting aerial view of the port. It was taken in pre-power station days, which is the first thing to note, hence it dates the photo at pre-1955. The Cambois tidal basin is there, therefore the photo is dated post-1934-5, however the housing estate close by Cowpen Square is not yet built, which narrows the search further to 1934-1939. The tall white structure left of lower centre is the Blyth High Light on Bath Terrace; a prominent feature of Blyth since its construction in 1788. Two other stages of heightening took place in 1888 and 1900, which raised it to its current height of 61' 6". (Sorry, we do not know its metric height, we are of an age that metric means nothing to us, Imperial is still the way in our little and ageing world). Surprisingly the High Light used to be on the waterfront, but now it stands over one hundred yards away from today's shoreline! It was deactivated as a navigation light as late as 1985 just short of 200 years of service. There are ships berthed at many of the staith's spouts. On the left side of the river at the South Staiths there are vessels at spouts 1,2, 3 & 4 and further up on Cowpen Quay is a large vessel, perhaps having repairs made, as it is adjacent to Cowpen Dry Docks and Shipbuilders. Above that vessel and on the north side of the river in the distance can be seen the West Staith too far away to make out any vessels. However returning down the east side of the river we can see vessels on the North Staith from spouts 16 through 9, even a wisp of smoke or steam from an engine on the staithe top. No vessels seem to be at the Cowpen Coal Co's staiths. One other point of interest is that the East Pier has been extended. I understand that the pier was extended in 1907. The Seven Stars public house can also be seen on the east side of the river. Returning to the bottom centre left of the image we can just see the steam packet dredger 'Cowpen', a bucket dredger, which arrived at Blyth in 1913. The vessel clanged and banged its way around the harbour for 51 years, clearing an estimated 15 million tons of spoil to keep the channel at the correct depth. It was eventually sold to Italian owners and left Blyth for Naples in 1964, its duties being taken over by the new suction dredger 'Crofton'. To the left of the dredger can be seen Blyth Harbour Commissions' yard with the white Low Light, which provided navigation aide along with the High Light.

(Left) The Blyth High Light (lighthouse-navigation point) is situated just behind Bath Terrace, and is one of Blyth's oldest structures. Built in three stages, it stands at 18.74 metres (61.5 ft) tall. The first section was constructed in 1788 to a height of 10.66 metres (35 ft) while a further 4.26 metres (14 ft) were added in 1888, followed by an additional 3.82 metres (12.5 ft) in 1900. It was deactivated in 1985 and listed as a Grade II building on 15th July two years later. It is amazing to think that this building once stood on the foreshore! The pen line drawing is by local artist, Dave Edwards, who has several artworks of Blyth featured on the web. Click here for a link to his site.

PART ONE - POWER STATION, HUGHES BOLCKOW, NORTH BLYTH SHED, BATES PIT, C & C STAITH and WEST STAITH. 

  

(Above Left) The first section of the LNER 1934 map is superimposed over a 2006 Google map showing the changes that have taken place over the 60-odd years...the result is startling! Points of interest are marked in alphabetical order and are related to the photos included in Part One. They are: A = Ash Disposal Dock; B = Tidal basin Extension of 1934/5 adjacent to Boca Chica; C = Site of Power Station; D = West Staith; E = LNER full coal wagons sidings; F = North Blyth Engine Shed; G = Cowpen and Cambois Branch; H = North Staith; I = Hughes Bolckow breakers yard; J = High Ferry crossing point and K = Cowpen Coal Co. Bates Pit spouts

(Above Right) Having been brought up in Cowpen, I have always had a soft spot for Blyth, and had no desire to leave all my childhood friends behind when dad started his new job in Skipton. I was 12 years old at the time and the move hit me hard. Thirty-odd years later, however, my interest in Blyth has never abated - rather it grows from strength to strength. At every opportunity I look out for subject matter on the Blyth & Tyne Railway, referred to as 'The Mouse That Roared' in a wonderful article by Terry Wright that appeared in the August 1999 edition of Steam Days magazine. As soon as I had a connection to the Internet at home my earliest searches were for Blyth, although very little came to light at first. However, over the years a growing number of people with fond memories of the town have contributed more and more to the Internet, and so I'm pleased to add my own contribution based around the LNER map of 1934. It is a delicate document now - almost 76 years old - but the map is clear enough to show in detail the network of lines that once served the town. Today, of course, nothing remains of a railway in Blyth itself, the last to go being the Bates Pit line (lifted in 2007) and the only track left in North Blyth is the branch line (marked 'G' on the map) that runs from West Sleekburn out to the Alcan Terminal. Then there is the dock at Battleship Wharf (marked 'I' on the map) which is now used for importing coal - in fact, a vessel is being unloaded in the Google map and a huge stockpile of imported coal now covers an area once occupied by the North Sidings; it is an unbelievable turnaround for a town, which, at its height was the largest coal exporting port in Europe! Even crazier still, Blyth and Southeast Northumberland is sitting on a vast seam of coal, yet the coal now travelling by rail is imported from Poland. And if that isn't ironic enough, the imported coal is taken to feed the Yorkshire power stations, which also sit on top of a vast quantity of coal - the whole thing is just plain barmy!

(Above) This aerial view of Bates Pit and associated sidings rekindles fond memories of growing up in the shadow of both the Power Station and the Bates Pit during the 1970s - the latter being a strict 'no go' area for me as a kid. In those days, discipline was strict and I did as I was told, and never went beyond the fence line, just visible in the lower left corner. The large tripods in this view contain the conveyors for loading coal into the wagons and the black coloured arm that stretches out into the river is the spoil conveyor. A boat was loaded there and the spoil taken out to sea and dumped. The two large Bates loaders can also be seen on the river edge where a ship is being loaded. On the opposite bank, the Hughes Bolckow site is empty and the north sidings are gone, therefore this image is dated 1982 or thereabouts, certainly before the miners' strike of 1984 and the ensuing demise of the coal mining industry. It is difficult to see the winding gear of the pit in this view, but it was one of the main features visible to me from my bedroom window. Of course, I had no idea how extensive the Bates site then was. It is amazing to think that, like an iceberg, the surface was just the tip of it, that the shaft was sunk over 1000 feet deep and the workings extended 7 miles beneath the seabed. Judging from this aerial view, you'd be mistaken in thinking that it wasn't a very nice place to grow up, but behind the camera were numerous riverside fields to play in and the rural scenery across the river definitely outnumbered the industrial views. However, I do remember the acres of sidings at Bates Pit and watching the navy blue NCB 0-6-0ST locomotives hauling wagons full of coal up the steep incline to Isabella exchange sidings where BR locomotives collected them. I also recall this stretch of branch line being used for the making of a railway safety film for children. The filming took place where Dene View Drive crosses the line, using a locomotive and a short rake of wagons. The scene involved children playing on the railway line and a boy getting hit by the train - the moral of the story being 'Keep off the railways'. I wonder if the footage still survives in an archive somewhere? It was a lecture we always got before the holidays. Alas, it wasn't heavy industry that killed one of my young friends but a mishap at the swimming baths when he dived into the pool from the highest board and hit his head on the bottom of the pool. No one realised what had happened until it was to late. His name was Philip too, a close friend. He was only 8 years old.  

(Right) This is a shot of the 7,200 tonne cargo ship, Porlock Hill, being loaded with coal from Bates Pit. Originally named Samchess, this cargo vessel was a Liberty Ship launched in January 1944 and loaned to the British for the duration of the Second World War. For the uninitiated, more than 2,700 Liberty Ships were mass produced during World War 2 in response to a critical shortage of maritime cargo vessels. The ships carried wartime cargo and supplies, including food, fuel and ammunition across the Atlantic. By 1945, the fleet of Liberty Ships became the greatest standard fleet in world history and many vessels participated in combat with enemy forces. Therefore it's such a crying shame that the Merchant seamen who served aboard Liberty Ships became the forgotten sailors of World War 2, since those who participated returned home after the conflict and were denied benefits for injuries and often overlooked in victory celebrations. In recent years, however, maritime and naval historians have shed light on the significant contribution of the Liberty Ships and their sailors. Their contribution to the war effort was tremendous, for the fleet of ships carried two-thirds of all cargo leaving US ports in support of the Allies overseas. After the war, Samchess was sold privately to the Somerset SS Co and served under the British flag (Counties Ship Management Co, London) and renamed Porlock Hill, but four years later she sank off Famagusta and ended her days being scrapped in Italy.

 
(Above Left) Dating old photos can sometimes be a problem. In this photo the power station is incomplete. Blyth 'A' is finished and is functioning as there is steam venting from the turbine house, however just to the left, the construction of Blyth 'B' is taking place. Permission for building Blyth 'A' Power Station was granted in February 1955, and its construction took place between 1955 and 1960. The station's first unit went into operation in December 1958, and the 'A' Station was fully operational by June 1960. Therefore it is possible to date the picture after June 1960. However there is additional info that helps. The construction of the 'B' Station began on 4th December 1961. Its first unit was commissioned in December 1962 one year later, and the rest of the station was fully operational by September 1966. So the picture must have been taken early 1962 as building work has visibly progressed on the steel girder frame construction but it is far from complete. The picture was taken from the south side ramp of the High Ferry. The large grey concrete structure to the right of the west staithe is the ash disposal plant and silo.The odd-looking spouts in the middle distance on the left bank are those of Bates Pit, which are not part of the LNER property. The West Staith spouts are visible and are numbered 17-20, though no trains appear to be on the staith. Click here to see the same scene at High Tide.

(Above Right-Below) This photo (top right) is looking straight into the ash disposal dock. The Pulverised Furnace Ash (PFA) and Furnace Bottom Ash (FBA) were by-products produced by the burning of coal in the station, these days we call it gypsum and it is used in the making of plasterboard. Bottom ash was removed from ash hoppers at the bottom of the boilers by high-pressure water jets. It then travelled to ash settling ponds via sluiceways. For much of its life, the station was served by a series of barges, which took the ash to dump out at sea. Two barges provided this service over the years; Sir Fon and MVA. The barges were loaded from silos situated at a special dock to the east of the stations. The image also shows the BP Tankers Jasmine and Jaguar awaiting disposal at Hughes Bolckow's on the right, and the vessel in the water beyond their bows is the BHC rock breaker, which appears in several photos taken in different parts of the port (mention is made of this vessel below). The east most ash silo is not built yet in this image. In fact the picture was taken on the 19 July 1960.(Below) This photo shows a close-up view of the disposal of BP Tankers, Jasmine, Jaguar, Austanger and Jean Baptiste. On the immediate right, Jaguar and Jasmine are berthed alongside each other and the vessel beyond with no top decks is the Austanger. The ship in the tidal dock on the left is Jean Baptiste (a Liberty Ship) built in 1943 as Fort La Tour and arrived in Hughes Bolckow's on 16th July 1960.  

(Below) Another shot of the dock, this time viewed from the Cambois foreshore of the tidal basin constructed during 1934 (see LNER map). The dumping of ash in the North Sea was stopped when the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships prevented further dumping at sea. From then on FBA (gypsum) was sold to the construction industry, while PFA was either dried for sale, or was disposed of at a licensed landfill on-site.

  

(Above) An interesting photo taken from the construction platform part way up the east chimney of the B station in 1965. In the distance, a Class J27 departs North Blyth Siding with coal empties and a vessel is being broken up at the Hughes Bolckow yard. The new-looking vessel berthed at Mooring Stage 25 is either being used for the shipment of scrap metal or transporting coal. It is quite unusual in that the bridge is forward-amidships and the single funnel at the stern. I did wonder if this was a Liberty Ship being put to good use in the post-war years, but Liberty Ships have the bridge and funnel in the amidships position, and this one is a different beast altogether. In the foreground, the West Staith is occupied by smaller vessels awaiting another shipment of exported coal. A few years ago, whilst on a rail enthusiasts' trip my dad and I had the privilege of sitting with two chaps, one called Neil and the other Peter, both of whom worked for BR in various capacities, including accident investigation and safety. During the trip we learned many new things from a BR perspective. Both men visited Cambois on numerous occasions, and no matter how many times they walked on the West Staith they could never get used to the movement and sway of the whole structure as a fully loaded train crept out to the coal drops. I had to laugh as they commented on the east wind. I know from my own experience that Blyth is no place to be when an east wind blows during the winter, especially when it finds its way up your trouser leg...a lazy wind that could shatter bones! How the men managed out on the staithes through the winters doesn't bear thinking about.

(Right) This elevated shots shows construction of the ash dock from the top of the east most chimney of Blyth 'A' station. The dock is in the process of being 'piled' with reinforcing steel work that will become the concrete dockside. The rectangular form of the dock can be seen between the chimney lip and the davit winch wheel. As mentioned earlier, the BHC's rock breaker is featured in several photos on this page, including this one - click on image to enlarge. I am grateful to David Fraser for the following information on this interesting vessel. He writes - 'The Harbour Commissioners floating plant is a Lobnitz rock breaker or rock cutter as they were often referred to, one of a pair costing more than £6000 each, ordered in April 1906 from Messrs Lobnitz & Co of Renfrew in Scotland and both delivered to the Blyth harbour during 1907. The Blyth harbour has always had a rock base and to increase the harbour depth, these two rock breakers were purchased. They comprised of a mild steel barge 100 feet by 28 feet, with a steam boiler onboard working at 100lbs pressure, a cutter hoisting winch, a donkey pumping engine and both had a manoeuvring winch to aid accurate positioning. A wooden roof covers the whole barge and a very tall chimney stack protrudes. The shearlegs support a large cutter weighing up to 20tons and some 50ft long with a conical point which when dropped onto the river bed, broke the rock over a wide area so that a bucket dredger such as the 'Cowpen' could subsequently remove it. When this pair were ordered, both rock breakers had the shearlegs design situated in the barge centre, but it was quickly realised that they could not work right up against either the harbour jetties or the wooden coal staiths. The ordering specification was amended prior to construction and one barge was supplied with the shearlegs mounted on the end and could then work right against any of the harbour structures while the other barge retained the centre mounted shearlegs.'

(Left) I have often wondered how the name 'Boca Chica' in Cambois (seen on a section of the old LNER plan) came to receive its bizarre name, and discovered the answer in an old book - ''The History of Blyth from the Norman Conquest to the Present Day' (2nd edition of 1869) by John Wallace. The author tells a wonderful story about two seamen who saw naval action at the Battle of Cartagena de Indias (Columbia today) in South America in March of 1741. Having survived the battle the men made it home and of course told the tale of their exploits (no doubt with many flourishes and embellishments) and their frequent mention of the name Boca Chica led to one of their companions jokingly naming where they lived Boca Chica. It was immediately adopted by the locals and continued in use right up to the demolition of the colliery rows. Here is the exact wording from his book - '1745. About this time 'Boca Chica' received its outlandish name. Two seamen belonging to the place laid Bended on board a ship-of-war, under Admiral Vernon, at the siege of Carthagena, a seaport in South America, in 1741. The entrance into the harbour was termed Boca Chica (little mouth), and was defended by several forts, the whole of which were taken by the British forces. Those seamen having returned home in recounting their exploits at the siege so frequently used the words Boca Chica, that one of their companions jocularly gave the name to the place of their residence; the new name took with the public, who at once adopted it, and to this day Boca Chica has continued to be the name of the northern portion of the High Pans.'

(Above) HMS Campania (D48) was built as an Escort aircraft carrier weighing in at 16,042 tons gross. She was built by Harland & Wolff Ltd (Belfast, Northern Ireland) first laid down 5th August 1941, launched 17th June 1943 and commissioned 7th Mar 1944. She saw service in the North Atlantic, Norway and the Arctic. At the end of WW2 in 1945 she was laid up in the Naval Reserve at Rosyth. Despite early retirement, the 1951 Festival of Britain gave her the opportunity to ply the waves again. She was reactivated as part of a mobile exhibition, painted white and festooned with bunting and flags. Manned by civilians she visited Southampton, Dundee, Newcastle, Hull, Plymouth, Bristol, Cardiff, Belfast, Birkenhead and Glasgow, staying at each port for 10-14 days between 4 May and 6 October 1951. After taking part in the festival, she saw further use becoming part of the task force for Operation Hurricane, an exercise for the testing of British atomic weapons at Monte Bello Islands archipelago eighty miles north west of Australia in October 1952. Her respite was brief though and her service days ended in December of 1952. She was sold for scrap in October 1955 and by November 1955 she was at Hughes Bolckow, Blyth for cutting up, as seen in this sad view of her. Only 11 years old! What a waste! The very end of the West Staith can be seen in the far right of the image. Click here for a resume of her wartime activity.

(Below) Final voyage of HMS Berwick being towed to the breakers yard at Battleship Wharf, Blyth, on 12th July 1948. The Kent Class cruiser HMS Berwick was the first of her class. Launched on 30th March 1926 she was commissioned for trials on 15th July the following year. Click here to visit the excellent 'Naval History' website. HMS Berwick had a long association with the civil community of Berwick on Tweed before the ship was placed on the Disposal List in 1948. This photo shows her entering Blyth Harbour in tow to the breakers yard. For the record, Hughes Bolckow Limited was established as a partnership between Ralph Townsend Hughes and Charles Frederick Henry Bolckow in August 1906. Initially, the pair started business in the existing Wharfage owned by Hughes at Derwenthaugh on the Tyne river. The yard was situated upstream above the Newcastle bridges, which presented clearance problems when bringing ships in for scrapping. The first scrapping was a Norwegian cargo ship, the 'Norfolk', which ran aground on the Black Middens at the mouth of the Tyne in January 1908. The first warship to be scrapped, 'HMS Collingwood', was dismantled to lower her draft sufficiently to tow her alongside at Derwenthaugh. The next warship, 'HMS Barfleur' was an old battleship of 10,500 tons, and on arrival in the Tyne in 1910 she became wedged between the sides of the Tyne swing bridge and refused to budge. In view of the the restricted access, Hughes approached the Tyne Improvement Commission for a deeper water site further downstream, but the application was rejected. In November 1911, Hughes signed two 50-year leases for a new shipbreaking site in deeper water at Cambois, on the North side of the River Blyth. One lease was with the Blyth Harbour Commissioners for the dredged site and wharfs, the other with Lord Ridley for plant acreage and rail connections. Click here to visit the excellent 'Shipnostagia' website, an online community for anyone with an interest in ships and shipping. The information in this caption is attributed wholly to Ron Rooney, whose expert comments on the origins of Hughes Bolckow is unquestionable.

 

(Above and Inset) The 'Empress of Scotland' makes a stately entrance to Blyth Harbour on her final journey to the breakers yard at Hughes Bolckow in December 1930. The Empress of Scotland (formerly SS Kaiserin Auguste Victoria) was built by Stettiner Vulcan AG in Stettin in 1905-1906. The ship left Hamburg on her maiden voyage to Dover, Cherbourg and New York in May 1906. Thereafter she regularly sailed the route between Hamburg and New York. Following World War 1, the vessel was surrendered to Britain and chartered by the U.S. Shipping Board for the repatriation of American troops from Europe to America. The ship made five crossings between France and the United States. In May 1921, the vessel was sold to Canadian Pacific, re-named the Empress of Scotland and embarked on her first voyage from Southampton to New York in January 1922. Eight years later, the newly-built Empress of Britain was introduced on the lucrative Trans-Atlantic crossing and the Empress of Scotland was sold for scrap to Hughes Bolckow at Blyth. After arrival at Battleship Wharf, the ship's interior fixtures and fittings (a valuable source of income for the salvage yard) were auctioned off during public viewing days, but on the final day a catastrophic fire broke out in her stern. As the fire got hold, the billowing smoke mercifully blew offshore; though I doubt if the residents of Cambois and North Blyth thought it a very nice place to be with all that acrid smoke around. Even battening down the rattling sash windows wouldn't have done much good. I'm mindful of the sash windows that we had in our house! I could never work out if the bedroom windows rattled more than our teeth on cold windy nights; just thinking about it still gives me the shivers today - itchy scratchy blankets and candlewick bedspreads! As for the outcome of the fire? The photo (inset) shows the ship ablaze; the scene is one of bedlam and the jets of water from the hoses look woefully inadequate to tackle the blaze. Note one of the Blyth paddle tugs in attendance. The Harbour Commissioner's fire float was soon at the scene, but with 20-foot high flames sweeping through the vessel and the tremendous heat causing so much damage, it was decided to scuttle her where she lay. On December 15th the demolition team eventually made a start on the twisted and burned-out hulk sitting on the riverbed. Her two funnels and part of the superstructure were cut down, and by the end of February the ship was refloated and pumped dry to allow for further demolition. In May, it was planned to tow the Empress to the Tidal Dock for final cutting up, but the weakened structure collapsed while under tow and broke in two, and it took until October 1931 before the last remains of this once-proud ship was finally cut up. Click here to visit the excellent 'Great Ocean Liners' website, which contains details of the ship's history and its luxury interior. 

 

 

(Above)  During WW2 HM Hospital Ship Vasna plied the waves doing her bit for the war effort. After many years of service she arrived in Blyth in April 1951 and is seen here awaiting her fate with the cutters torch at the Bolckows Wharf. Built in 1917 at Alex, Stephenson & Son Glasgow, the vessel was requisitioned during construction by the Government and completed as a hospital ship; the last of a small fleet of four V Class vessels - click here to visit the 'Roll of Honour.com' for details of her wartime history. In this image the weather for Blyth is very fair, though the stern flag in the left hand side of the picture appears to be blowing in a stiff Westerly breeze. Given the shortness of the shadows it must be the middle of the day or soon after as the sun is shining on the west facing side of the ship. Given the water mark on the mooring stage the tide is not at its full height either. When this photo was taken, construction of the power station had not begun, so the upper part of the harbour then had an 'open' feel about.

For over 70-odd years, the Hughes Bolckow yard handled ships of all types: Warships, Submarines, Passenger Liners, Tankers, Cargo ships, Trawlers, Tugs, various crane and support ships - even steam locomotives. The locos of note that ended their days at Hughes Bolckow included three Class A4s: No 60034 Lord Farringdon, No 60024 Kingfisher and No 60026 Miles Beever. I'm all for recycling, but it's sad to think that such beautiful and magnificent machines could end up as razor blades. This reminds me of old Barber Brock's on Seaforth Street. The whole town of Blyth knew him. Dad took me there for my hair cutting, but I hated dad's stipulatory 'short, back 'n' sides'! The kids at school used to call me skinhead, and I couldn't wait for my hair to grow again. But when it did, it was back to Barber Brock's for another basinful! I remember dad always went first, sitting there in the big red barber's chair while I had to wait my turn; it only served to prolong my agony. Then, after dad had been done, a wooden plank was placed across the arms of the chair and I climbed up to sit at a proper 'working' height. I remember the lofty perspective I had of the shop: the glossed white tongue-grooved boarding around the walls, and the packets of plastic combs, shaving brushes, Wilkinson's Safety Razors and spare blades for sale. Above all else, I recall when it came to leaving how Mr Brock never failed to ask dad - 'Anything for the weekend, Sir?' - to which he replied, 'No.' (at least he did whilst I was with him). The shop smelled of Lifebuoy carbolic soap too. Sadly you cannot smell it on the Internet otherwise I'd provide a link.

(Right) I bought this old 'Time and Motion' study from a dealer on eBay, who found it in the loft after languishing there for 45 years! The chart records the walking distances to various points on the staiths and around the port. I sent a copy to Fred Wagstaff, who replied - 'The walking times list was agreed between the Union and Management between different points on the staiths, but the study always seemed to be set during the summer months when the sun was shining and the birds were singing - never during inclement weather, such as icy fog, freezing snow and other conditions that made your balls shrink and your nose turn blue! The 'Dome' on the list refers to the Department of Mechanics-Electrics, where the men were expected to keep all the loading gear and lighting on the staiths and Yards in good working order, and generally did a grand job, but the Management seemed wary of time-served men, hence the list of walking allowances was devised.

(Below) In this aerial view of the West Basin, the white building in the bottom left hand corner is the now-demolished Sidney Arms pub, named after one of four wealthy families in the area. To the left of the pub is the headshunt, which is part of the run round loop for the Bates loaders. The track occupies the land where Cowpen Square once stood. Just above the pub are the two mooring stages numbered 18 and 20, and moving up to the north shore of the river we see the West Staith with two ships moored at spouts 17 and 19. Above them is the ash disposal silo on the left hand side of the new extension to the main tidal basin dock; this is fully operational whilst the second ash disposal silo to the right of it is incomplete, and therefore dates the photo to 1965-66. The north sidings are clearly visible and lead onto the North Staiths where two ships are moored at stages 26-27. At their bows can be seen the ferry about to arrive at the north side ramp, above which is the Hughes Bolckow's breakers yard with a ship moored alongside. To the right of the ship's bow is tidal dock and the white building at its head is called the Ridley Arms, named after another wealthy family in the area. Perhaps at this juncture mention should be made of the Delaval, Hasting, Ridley and Sidney families. I recall my Bebside Middle School blazer badge (see inset left) which features the four family names on it. In the top left corner is the empty sleeve of the Hastings family, whose motto is 'Hold Fast To Justice'. Top right are the three birds and spots of the Ridley family and their motto 'Always Faithful' - the Ridley family home is Blagdon Hall near Stannington. Bottom left is Delaval. Hubert de la Val came to England with William the Conqueror in 1066 and was given land in the area, his motto being 'God Guide Me'. Bottom right is the blue Pheon (barbed arrow of a crossbow) of the Sidney family, their motto 'Wither the Fates call', and finally in the centre are the red and yellow stripes of Northumberland.

(Above-Right)  This picture shows the High Ferry crossing the river between the Golden Fleece pub (formerly Sidney Arms) on the Cowpen Square side of the river to North Blyth. In the background, a Class J77 0-6-0T is hauling wagons off the North Staith into North Blyth sidings. Of great interest though is the semaphore signal beyond the ferry ramp on the opposite bank (see inset right). I'm not sure of its purpose, but several options spring to mind. One is that it was used to summon the ferry from the south side of the river, second is that it controlled road vehicles down the ramp onto the ferry when it was safe to do so, however no such signal is evident in the vicinity of the south side ramp, which perhaps rules this option out. The third option is that the signal was used to warn the ferry operator of river traffic. The ferry boat hauls itself across the river by chains, and these have to be lowered to the bottom of the river so that ships can pass without getting fouled up in the chains. However, the most likely option is that the semaphore protects the single-track rail link from BR, which gave access to Hughes Bolckow's salvage yard over a level crossing on the road between the shipbreaking yard and North Sidings (see map below). Evidence of a similar railway-style semaphore signal being used to control road traffic can be found by clicking on this link to Shrub Hill Crossing, Worcester.

Footnote: The Internet is a wonderful educational tool, full of interesting minutiae, yet I could find no mention of the mystery semaphore on the High Ferry landing and therefore my research drew a blank. I was about to issue an appeal on this page when I was contacted by none other than Fred Wagstaff, who writes - 'The signal on the landing was to indicate that the Ferry had lowered the wires to the bottom of the river to enable ships to navigate up to the West Basin for loading or turning. The procedure was that a ship requiring to pass the landing would blow one long and two short blasts when passing Colpits landing to indicate to the ferry crew that they should drop the wires to allow the ship safe passage. If the Ferry was at the South side, he would immediately set off for the North side, because that was where the Cable tensioning gear was situated, and lower the wires. When the wires were safely on the bottom, the Ferrymen would give an answering long and two short on the Whistle, and pull the signal to the off position - why, I'm not sure because it would certainly not be seen in fog, or by ships coming from the West Basin direction! Of course, the people involved would all know what was planned to happen, and would be well briefed by VHF Radio if any alterations were to crop up. I remember an occasion when a 'new' J77 arrived at the Shed, fitted with an A4 calliope whistle. On its first week on the Staiths, every time the whistle was sounded, the Ferry crew went to panic stations, thinking a ship was en route...all because no one had told them! My thanks to Fred for solving the mystery in his own inimitable style!

(Above) In this enlarged section of the 1934 LNER map of North Blyth Sidings it immediately becomes apparent just how extensive they were. At the top of the map - running along the shoreline - can be seen the Cowpen Colliery (C&C) Railway which, by virtue of the topography, was built on sand. Needless to say there were times when the track acquired a route of its own and this doubtless made for a hairy ride for the engine crew, particularly in wintery conditions when inclement weather raged in from the sea. The North Blyth engine shed (52F) doesn't look much, but in fact the shed building contained a 50ft turntable that served 12 stalls for stabling locomotives. The footbridge at the throat of the sidings was a popular vantage point for photographers. From there you could see the different elevation between the sidings of loaded wagons and the empty lines. The track fanning out into the sidings dwarfed the engine shed at a lower level, which was served by a single line descending to the shed yard and associated sidings, whilst the Hughes Bolckow salvage yard had a rail link.

(Below) Let me be quite honest about this, when it comes to giving anecdotal or factual information about North Blyth Shed and Sidings, no one can do it better than Fred Wagstaff, whose pages of reminiscences of footplate days at North Blyth steam shed and Cabois diesel Depot are superb. Quite simply, it was through reading Fred's pages that inspired me to do a page of my own - Fred also made available the majority of photos - and for that I am truly grateful. Click on Photo links below to visit Fireman Fred's pages…highly recommended! 

(Above-Below) Amazingly the sun is shining for Rail Cameraman, Roy Lambeth, when he took this superb shot of Class 37 403 Glenfalloch taking a break at Cambois Depot. The livery worn by this loco was introduced in the late 1980s, the red square and diamonds design being representative of Railfreight Distribution. British Rail separated its Railfreight liveries into six 'sectors' each with a different symbol. The sectors were: Coal, Construction, Metals, Petroleum, Railfreight General and Railfreight Distribution. The diamond under the nearest cab window (featuring the West Highland Terrier) is a BR Depot plaque, which tells us that 37 403 was based at Eastfield (ED) Traction Maintenance Depot (TMD) in Glasgow - shed code 65A for the oldies who can remember! The locomotive depot is now gone and a new maintenance of Diesel Multiple Units has been built on the site. (Below) Class 56 066 in Coal Sector livery at Cambois is looking rather unwell with roof panels removed from the No 2 end for access into the electrical control cubicle and alternator compartment. Most of this class were withdrawn from service by EWS on 31 March 2004, but a few remained in service with Hanson Traction Ltd. Five are now in preservation. Makes me feel old as I remember the class being introduced in 1976. Sadly, unlike other classes of loco like the Class 37 in the photo above, which saw upwards of 40 years of service, the Class 56 fleet served less than 30 years at best. No's 56 001-56 030 didn't serve very long at all; these Romanian-built locos were of poor quality and removed from service relatively early. A link is provided above to Fred Wagstaff's memories of Cambois Diesel Depot, and links to Roy Lambeth's photo galleries can be found on the front page of this site.

(Below Left and Right)  Returning to the 1934 LNER map, we venture out onto the North Staith with all its spouts clearly numbered 9 to 16 from south to north. A short stretch of the C&C line can also be seen, which leads us onto the next map superimposed over a Google image (right) with the letter 'B' indicating the position of the North Staith and 'A' the site of the Cowpen Coal Co. staiths in 1934 with spouts Nos 1 - 4, believed to be the very first to be built in the harbour for the shipment of coal. Click on images to see larger size...

 

 

(Above) For the benefit of rail enthusiasts, perhaps a summary of Blyth's railway history is required at this juncture if only to explain the origin of the staiths. Indeed, the harbour was being used to ship coal from the local mines long before the Blyth & Tyne Railway (B&T) was fully operational. There were various wooden waggonways that provided a route to the harbour for the movement of cauldron wagons then in use. Since access to the network of railways to the south and the Tyne was not possible, an improvement in transportation was desperately needed and in 1842 an iron hulled steam ship 'Bedlington' was built. This vessel could be loaded with 40 cauldrons of coal for shipment down to the Tyne where it offloaded the cargo into other vessels by means of its own derricks. This task proved to be both costly and tedious, and in order to solve the problem a railway line was proposed from Blyth to North Shields at the mouth of the Tyne, however that line never came to fruition. Instead a track was laid from Blyth via Newsham and Hartley to connect with the already extant line at Seaton Delaval which was then extended in 1847 to join the Seghill Railway giving a through route from Blyth direct to the Tyne at Hayhole, a distance of some 9 miles. The Blyth & Tyne Railway Company finally came into existence by Royal Assent on 30th June 1852 and began operating over 13 miles of track from 1st January the following year. By 1872, following various acquisitions and extensions, the B & T had a total route mileage of just over 43 miles. This view from the North Staiths is looking downriver towards the South Staiths on the opposite bank.

(Right) Blyth's maritime history is an interesting subject and it is all too easy to lose sight of the fact that this is primarily a railway site. For that reason, this blown-up shot of a Class J77 0-6-0T on the North Side Staith acts as a photo-link to larger image showing  HMS Thunderer arriving at Blyth for Hughes Bolckow late 1926. Sold for scrap she was stripped of her heavy guns and lots of other fittings at Rosyth to make her draught suitably shallow for Blyth harbour, however she still touched bottom on arrival at the harbour entrance and it took six days to make her light enough to tow up river to Bolckows. Click here for a history of her illustrious career. Click here to see the full size image of the ship being towed by tugs to the breakers yard - the Class J77 0-6-0T and 20 ton coal wagons pale into insignificance in the background. The Cowpen Coal Co spouts can be seen just behind the stern of the warship.

(Below) The problem with Blyth harbour was the shallow water. As early as 1877 the Harbour Authority recognised the risk of losing its lucrative coal traffic to other ports, hence the Board of Commissioners had the harbour deepened to accommodate larger ships. In 1884 part of the south staiths were built which completely changed the fortunes of the town, and in that year alone 252,780 tons of coal was exported from the south staiths. This was a massive increase on the previous year (before the upgrade was completed) as only 42,176 passed through the harbour. By 1886 the export of coal had risen to 429,961 tons, and a year later it increased to more than 466,983 tons - a considerable achievement in view of a 17-week strike by miners! The south staiths were extended in 1888 and a new line built out to Newsham to improve access to the harbour for rail traffic. Export was growing at such a rate that the North Staiths were built in 1896, Blyth Station was rebuilt and opened in 1896 which included a new Blyth South engine shed of three roads followed by the opening of a new engine shed at North Blyth a year later. Business continued at a steady rate and it soon became apparent that another staith was required to meet the demand, hence work commenced on the construction of the West Staith in 1928. This view shows a vessel beneath Spout No 16, its hold already full of coal while a newly-launched 'King Theseus' with decorative bunting provides an interesting backdrop.

 

(Left-Below) With so much of Blyth's railway infrastructure consigned to the history books, artists and railway modellers, and historians in general, for that matter - have a difficult task in researching a subject that no longer exists. Instead they must rely on a good quality photograph from bygone days in order to create an accurate prototypical appearance of their work. Having searched through the Blyth News Archives, there are certain photos that stand up to scrutiny more than others, including this one of the North Staith which immediately draws in the eye - as if demanding closer inspection - the detail is superb! So, for the benefit of connoisseurs, the low-res photo (Left) is the overall view, while it is hoped the photo (below) will show plenty of detail that will satisfy even the most fastidious rivet counter, including those on the North Eastern Railway 8-plank mineral wagon - well, at a pinch! There is only so much you can do to a high-resolution photo without overloading a web page. Click on photo (below) to enlarge the image. Click here here for 'super-wide' image of the vessels berthed at the staith. For the record, these 8 plank wagons were the most numerous design of coal wagon built in the UK after 1923. They could carry 12 tons and had universal dimensions of: length of 16' 6", width of 8' 0" and wheelbase of 9' 0".

(Below) Images of the staiths' intricate detail are wonderful to look at, and it seems incredible that they could support several laden coal trains simultaneously. I was also astonished to read on Fred Wagstaff's  page 'BR Steam Footplate Memories' on the original site that a ship had hit the staiths when it was launched from the shipbuilders yard. Of course being a nosey individual, I just had to learn more about this incident and the date it happened. Well, with the help of various people still in the town of Blyth and a lot of Internet research I have after many hours learned what took place and when. In 1946-47 Wahl of Norway commissioned the building of a ship from Blyth Drydock and Shipbuilding Co. After design and build the vessel was eventually launched as the 'Nusken' in 1948 from the slipway at Blyth. Drag chains are usually attached to ships on launch so that control of the vessel can be maintained, however in this instance the rusty (60 year old!) main drag chain snapped leaving most of the chains and piles behind, and the ship was set free to go anywhere it liked! Its momentum on launch carried the ship across the River Blyth and it crashed into the North Staiths on the opposite bank of the river in the region of spouts 12 & 11. It is amazing that a more serious incident did not occur as a result of the collision. The staiths - as 'flimsy' as they look - withstood the impact and although quite a number of timbers were shattered the staith survived and remained standing, testament to their structural integrity and strength. This picture was taken after the event when some tidying up had been done in readiness for repair shows the extent of the damage.

(Left) Following its inauspicious launch, the 'Nusken' changed hands and name a few times during its service life. In 1955 it was sold to a Finnish company and was renamed 'Hamno'. It changed hands again in 1966 to a Greek company where it acquired the name 'Arion' and probably spent the rest of her working life in the Mediterranean, then just a year later in 1967 it was sold to a company in Israel where it was renamed 'Dolphin' and it appeared on an Israeli stamp! In 1968 it was sold to a Liberian company and became 'Dolphin II'. She was sold for scrap in 1972 after 24 years of service and ended her days at Split in what was then Yugoslavia and is now Croatia. Split interestingly is in the County of Dalmatia where Dalmatian dogs are from! Details of the ship and a resume of its life - including a photo of the vessel on the Israeli postage stamp - can be found here. 

(Below) This is a wonderful early picture taken by a plate glass camera of the Cowpen Coal Co staiths. The staith at which the collier is moored is in a state of reconstruction; there are no safety rails or tipping gear installed for unloading the cauldron wagons. This redevelopment took place after 1897; I have a reprint of the 1897 OS Map sheet No 73.10, which shows the the staith to be in the staggered setting as per the picture. The wooden vessel is empty and high in the water, therefore we can safely assume it is waiting its turn at the other spout where the steamboat is moored. These C&C staiths were first built on this site (known as Bishop's Quay) in 1865-6 when Cambois Colliery laid a railway to the harbour for the shipment of coal. In this 1900 view, the photographer captures the process of major alterations at a time when the river and navigable channel was being widened; this work was coincident with cutting back the staiths and foreshore. The staiths went through various partial or total rebuild over the years and occupied the site untl the mid 1960s. They were eventually demolished to make way for the Alcan terminal.

(Above Left-Above Right) The L/H image was taken circa 1880. It shows the two staiths as they were built in 1868 occupying the site that was Bishops Quay. It is quite evident that the north-most staith is much shorter than the one to the south, which is the one that had to be cut back enabling the widening of the river and dredging of the navigable channel. Also of interest is the harbour drilling craft, used to drill holes into the solid rock of the riverbed in which charges were placed to blast/break up the rock thus making it easier for the rock breakers and dredgers to do their bit in keeping the navigable channel open to ever increasing sizes of ship. (Above Right) This image shows the completed reconstruction of the C&C Staiths northern most spouts. It appears the work has recently been completed since the vegetation hasn't had chance to grow on the banks surrounding the staith. Also the Blyth tug boat Bothal can be seen, the vessel named after a castle on the banks of the River Wansbeck not far to the west of Ashington. It is a shame that the southern spouts cannot be seen in this broad view.

(Right) As mentioned above, Cambois Colliery erected the new staith as close to the mouth of the River Blyth as possible and at a point where the deepest water was available on the north bank of the river, which also provided shelter from the north shore and the sea. The first coal to be shipped from Blyth at these staiths took place on 27 June 1867. The Cowpen Coal Company was taken over by the Mickley Coal Company in 1928, though it was still referred to locally as the Cowpen Coal Co. Following an extensive survey, the new owners announced a total reconstruction of all the collieries in the Cowpen group, which led to Cambois Pit being virtually rebuilt and the staiths improved. This view looking north from mooring stage No 30 shows Spout No 4 in the early 1960s. By this time the riverbank has been graded and protected with stone. Today the whole site is gone and is now occupied by the Alcan terminal.

(Below) On the opposite bank was the LNER South Side Staiths, which provided by far the best vantage point of ships been loaded beneath the C&C shutes. When it came to dismantling the South Side Staith on the quayside in 1966 the contactors had a major problem as many of the supporting timbers had rotted. It is incredible to think that countless heavy coal trains had been on the staiths in that rotten state only two years prior to demolition! My dad remembers the staiths in use and trains on the bridge crossing Turner Street in Blyth, but doesn't remember them being demolished. Funny how some things he remembers and not others. I'd have thought the whole town would recall a major undertaking like the demolition of the staiths, since they were a major feature of the landscape for generations. I was born in July 1968, the very last month of steam on BR and so I missed it all the fun of the fair. However, I do remember riding my bicycle down to the quay side as a small boy in the 1970s, and although the staithes were long gone by then, various terraces of buildings were still there. It was interesting to watch the boats being unloaded at the Alcan Terminal on the opposite bank. Dad worked at the Seaforth Street Council Offices and at lunchtime walked down to the riverside to watch the Alcan silos being built. The construction work took place between 1969-71. The first 5000 ton cargo of alumina arrived at the terminal on the 29 June 1971. This aerial view shows the demolition of the coal drops Nos 1-4. The clearance work was to make way for the new Alcan silos and terminal. Note the remnants of the North Side Staith, whilst in the bottom left corner the three dry docks can also be seen as can the route of the staith from Blyth Station through to the riverside. Note also that the Seven Stars Inn is still there on the far right, but its days were numbered too as it was eventually demolished. Details of the activities of the vessel can be found in the caption below...

 

(Above) The vessel in the photo is a 'floating cutting platform dredger' - a suction dredger named 'Beverwuck 31, which is fitted with an additional cutting/drilling head. It will be drilling and cutting away at any bedrock where the new Alcan terminal is to be built; the rock/gravel created in the process will be sucked up and washed away through the floating pipework trailing out from the stern, which discharges the dredged materials onto the seaward side of the spit of land at a point where we can see the rocks of the Shinny Gripe Lug that make up the solid rock of the harbour floor. Prior to dredging, a deep trench will have been cut and piling driven into the ground or as far down as the bedrock to allow reinforced concrete capping to be added. In essence the wharf side was already built before the dredging took place, and once set, the dredger could then work up to the pre-prepared wharf edge. On the opposite bank is the BHC crane and floating sections of the suction pipeline that were not in use at that particular moment in time. I wonder how the workers who rebuilt the C&C staiths would have felt seeing their beautifully graded riverbank completely destroyed? Progress I think it is called.

(Below) In the colour view below we can identify the vessel, which was of Dutch origin. The red barrels on the deck perhaps contain grease or hydraulic oil for the machinery. To the right, the nozzle is in the water and dredging is taking place. I expect the operation was very noisy with heavy machinery in operation on the platform itself. On the blue sign to the left of the vessel is the name "Dredging" but sadly nothing more than that. One can also see that the concrete capping of the piled wharfside becoming visible. On the 'stern of the vessel are two high rusty columns (legs) that are dropped down onto the riverbed for stability. The North staiths of course were out of use when this work was being done and the staiths on the South side were already demolished as can be seen in the picture above. That information tells us that it is after 1967. The white car is a Ford Anglia.

 

(Above-Below) These four colour photos show the Alcan Terminal at various stages of construction. In the first shot, the dredging up to the new quay side is complete and one of the larger silos is in the process of being built. Unlike many of today's building sites and roadworks, closer inspection reveals a hive of activity with men at work, crane booms lifted high and a digger and dumper truck busily employed, whilst the pilot boat heading downstream adds to the sense of movement and industry. At the time the Government was under Labour control with Prime Minister Harold Wilson at the helm. The Government remained in Labour's hands under James Callaghan until the 'Winter of Discontent' 1978-79, which heralded the start of the Thatcher years. Of course, the change in Government meant nothing to me as a small boy, but I realise now that the Oil and Energy Crisis of the 1970s was a very interesting time. Having to eat by candle light during the blackouts was great fun, though I doubt my parents felt the same! Fortunately, we were moderately self reliant since we had a coal fire with a back boiler, no gas central heating, and as long as we had coal and wood we were able to keep warm and wash in hot water. I remember my grandfather in Gosforth had the most amazing shed on his allotment. It contained a pot bellied stove, an old comfy sofa piled high with books and magazines, a radio for the cricket and a small portable black and white telly from a caravan that ran off a 12v car battery. Winter of Discontent, I think not - it was a shed in heaven! Meanwhile my dad had an extensive garden and my mother baked a lot, so despite the queues for bread at the bakeries we were not overly troubled by the problems. I remember the smell of mum's baking whilst playing out in the back street and having fresh bread hot from the oven spread with butter that melted in your mouth. The thought of it still makes my mouth water! The second shot (above) shows all silos nearing completion. The quay side is complete and construction of the offloading facility is well on the way. The third photo (below) shows what I believe to be the first delivery of alumina at the terminal on 29th June 1971. Note the North Staith on the left - officially opened 13th July 1896) - is still standing; demolition didn't begin until 1972. Interestingly the staiths were not constructed of oak, but of pitch pine - a hardwood. The piles of the staiths driven into the river bed were of pitch pine greenheart, a very hard a resinous timber well suited for the conditions of water and strength required of them to support the weight of the staiths and coal trains. The final shot shows the newly completed terminal and silos. 

(Left-Below) In this Google image taken on the 14th July 2006 it is quite incredible that in the 32 years since the aerial photo (above) was taken that much of the area is still recognisable! In the bottom left hand corner marked 'A' are the three dry docks, which have been bridged for ease of access to what was Cowpen Quay, and just to their right is a modern rectangular building on the site of High Quay with mooring stages 18 & 19 marked (B) where the Mid Ferry crossed the river. The Tug Spout (C) is gone, but interestingly the roads and new buildings fit in well with the alignment of the old railway that once served the South Staith. 'D' marks mooring stage 17, which is now used by the Blyth Volunteer Lifeboat, 'E' is mooring stage 16 and to its right the timber structure of the south staith can be seen curving out into the river. The staith is covered over and vehicles are parked on the actual structure, so incredibly despite losing its rail traffic in 1964 the staith is still in use 112 years after construction in 1888. New investment has improved the derelict area considerably, and many of the streets and buildings are still standing as they were in the 1974 view. Moving up to the opposite bank 'F' shows the remnants of the North Staith, 'G' shows the Alcan Pots built on the site of the old Cowpen Coal Co staithes. 'H' and 'J' mark the mooring stages 31 and 32 - and 'I ' is the site of the Seven Stars pub. The old C&C lines can still be seen, albeit reduced to a single line since the 1934 plan was drawn, while the shoreline and sea wall (upper right) remain relatively unchanged. One would have thought that storm damage and shifting sand on the shoreward side might well have altered the sea front over the years, but it has not. Click on image to view full size. (Below) Another section of the 1934 LNER map showing the network of lines serving the Cowpen Dry Docks and Shipbuilding Co Ltd.

 

(Above) This is the Mid Ferry - a motorboat service operated by the Blyth Harbour Commission (BHC). Just behind the ferry (out of picture on the left) is Cowpen Staith Nos 1 & 2, beyond which is mooring stage 30 and beyond that Cowpen Staith no 3, but it appears that No 4 has gone. In the far distance can be seen the terrace including the Seven Stars pub. The main feature in the foreground is the huge timberwork of the ferry landing point and mooring stages 18 and 19. Just look at the size of those bolts in the wooden block connecting the two timbers together! I'd like to see the spanner they used for tightening those, a bit bigger than a ¾" Whitworth I think. The timberwork can still be seen on the Google 2006 map just south of the three dry docks, which are immediately behind the photographer. Judging by the lady in her coat waiting for the ferry (a Hetty Wainthrop lookalike with a tug funnel rising from her head) I would suggest a date of mid-late 1960s, though there is no way of telling if the Beatles might be on a nearby radio, or even the scent of Flower Power. This looks more like the business end of the era, including the chap facing us with his flat cap and bicycle clips! Everyone seems quite relaxed in this scene; the pace of life has changed beyond recognition since those days.

(Right-Below Left) The first ferry service across the river began in 1867. A vehicle ferry has operated between Blyth and Cambois for almost 100 years until the 30th June 1964, the same year that the North Staiths were taken out of use. The replacement passenger ferry service (right) is being operated by motorboat BHC No 5, one of several such vessels owned by the BHC. When these were taken out of service, a request was made by the local authority to the House of Commons in 1970 for a grant to operate the Blyth-Cambois Ferry Service. Here is a summary of what was said:
     Mister Edward Milne (14 years MP for Blyth) asked Albert Murray, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, what financial assistance his department was prepared to provide for the running of the ferry service between Blyth and Cambois.
    Mister Albert Murray, replied - 'The local authorities concerned have enquired whether they would qualify for Government grant (under Section 34 of the Transport Act 1968) in respect of any financial support they might themselves give to the ferry. The detailed information is being studied and we hope to reach a decision soon.
     Mister Milne then asked if he would endeavour to speed up the decision on this matter in view of the importance of this ferry service to the two areas concerned. Mister Murray replied that he was aware of the local authorities desire to act speedily, but since this is the first application of its kind it needs a great deal of detailed study...
     ...the first application of its kind! Blyth seems to have been a place of many firsts…an innovative town. However, taking into account the Governments lamentable record of snail's-pace decision making - it looked as if the ferry service was to be lost, but as a young boy in the 1970s I remember a rustic little vessel (left) that ferried no more than a half dozen people between Blyth-North Blyth and Cambois, albeit the meagre shelter it provided for passengers was little more than a tarpaulin sheet stretched over a metal frame...in essence a floating tent! In this photo the cropped state of the North Staith and the rows of terraced houses are just as I remember them on the north side of the river. The last ferry service across the River Blyth ceased in 1997 after 130 years of operation in one form or another.

(Below Left) Why these boats are in the Dry Dock isn't immediately apparent. First thing of note is the tide is near the high water mark and the dock gates are open. Lots of things are laid about the dockside, so I am certain the boats are here for repair. Note the battered the railings in the foreground! However if one looks very closely, the crane door is open and a cable from the crane is hanging free above the boat. Something has been lifted or is about to be, but whether that is on or off the boat is uncertain. Looking beyond the stern of the boats to the opposite bank is the remnants of the North staith, which, given the photographers perspective leads me to believe that the image is of the middle (No. 4) dock. Also visible on the other bank is a rake of Alumina wagons at the Alcan site, and the north most 'pot' of 7,000 tons capacity just to the right of the crane.  For the record, the name 'Alcan' is an abbreviated name taken from Alumina Canada. The company (now called Rio Tinto Alcan) is an Anglo-Australian mining concern, which bought 80% of Alcan for £19 billion and is now the world's largest producer of aluminium and bauxite. The Alcan Depot at North Blyth is where two of the products needed for smelting are imported, including bauxite from South America which travels to Ireland where it is made into Alumina by a chemical process, and then shipped to Blyth. The other basic material required is calcined petroleum coke, imported from the USA. Both materials arrive in ships of 20,000 tonnes and are unloaded into one 7,000 and two 15,000 tonne storage silos called 'Pots', which have been a familiar landmark on the coast at Blyth for over 35 years. The alumina is then transported from Blyth in specially designed rail wagons to the Lynemouth, Lochaber and Kinlochleven smelters in Scotland. The coke is taken by road to the Lynemouth carbon plant to produce anodes for both the Lynemouth and Lochaber smelters. The creation of aluminium requires vast amounts of electricity and any surplus at the Lynemouth plant supplies the National Grid. The Alcan wharf dates the picture to post 1975, but not much else helps date the image more precisely. Sadly the names of the boats are not visible on their bows, not even their harbour numbers. 

(Above Right) This photo of the Tug Spout fascinates me - what a wonderful picture! The intricacy of the wooden structure, the stairway and winding mechanism with a counterbalance weight hanging to the right of the spout can be seen in incredible detail. Just look at the rivets on the spout. To the left of the spout is a rake of NE Railway wagons on the elevated section, curving out onto the south section of the riverside South Staiths, and I love the wooden shed belonging to T McRae, Dealer in Marine Stores. Click here to see a close up of Mister McRea's Ikea-style advertising. To the right is a row of terraces. I wonder what it was like living next to all that heavy-duty rail activity?  Just look at the upper left bedroom window, it is wide open! And then there's the cement pointing on the front of the house? It suggests that the frontage has been changed, possibly from a shop? There is a vertical joint in the brickwork where the terrace houses meet, and just to the left of the drainpipe, the pantile roof is very straight and of a different hue - again suggesting a newer roof to that of its neighbour. On the tug spout itself a chap is observing the photographer. The railway wagon on the spout helps illustrate how the contents of the wagons on the staiths dropped their contents from the doors on their undersides and gravity would take the coal down the spout into the waiting vessel. The noise must have been deafening to local residents, particularly at night when the neighbours where in bed! Perhaps that is the instruction on the notice board; it's difficult to read, as too is dating the image. I would say it is early 1900s.

PART 2 - BLYTH STATION, BLYTH SOUTH SHED and SOUTH SIDE STAITHS

(Above) It is amazing to see how David has superimposed the 1934 LNER map over the Google image of 2006. A difficult task as the LNER map is not exactly to scale, yet with a bit of juggling in Photoshop David has managed to get a close fit. Fantastic to see the lines and station all in their respective positions in relation to the town as it is today. I never realised just how extensive the railway was in the heart of the town. Starting from the lower left edge of the image we can see the level crossing over Cowpen Road. Just to the right of that is a large square building that was South Blyth engine shed. It was first built as a three road shed in 1879 and extended in 1895 to accommodate extra locomotives for the increased rail traffic to the town. The site is now occupied by the Blyth Community Hospital. The mass of sidings and the station itself covered a large area and is now occupied by Morrisons supermarket and car park. It is quite amazing to see that the modern buildings in the area are still outlined by the original shape of the station and shed site. Tree and wall lines are basically unchanged given that it is nearly 40 years since the demolition of the station and all its related structures. Moving to the right over Turner Street we can follow the lines climbing out to the riverside staiths, and see the short stub to the tug spout. I remember the supermarket being built, Prestos it was then. In particular I recall the smell of newly laid Tarmac and the terracotta colour of the bricks used to build the car park walls; the supermarket facade looked palatial alongside the weather-stained architecture around it. When shopping there, mum often gave me a cuff round the ear for persistently pestering her for a new toy car, usually a Matchbox toy. The French Street entrance to the car park reminds me of the time dad gave my older sister (only 12 at the time) driving lessons up and down the ramp to the car park. Just using the clutch to get the biting point, then climbing the ramp and letting the car roll back to the bottom before repeating the exercise again. It was a little Austin 7 minivan in Battleship Grey with registration NTY 403F, strange how the smallest details come to mind.

The Blyth and Tyne Branch Railway by Ken Hedley 

There is no doubt that the Internet is a great educational tool, but if you are serious about researching a particular subject it is important to pick the right sites. Often I feel it would have been better to have studied documented evidence at the Woodhorn Archives in Ashington or the Northumbria Archive rather than taking a giant leap into the relative obscurity of Internet-sourced faith. Sadly there are many inaccuracies on the web - and in books too, come to that! Therefore I am grateful to retired railwayman, Ken Hedley, who has provided a concise history of the B&T Railway for this page. Ken started work on the railway as a 17 year-old cleaner at South Blyth shed in November 1945. In those days it was still LNER and Ken worked various jobs besides cleaning, until March 1947 when he left the railway to work in the coal mines as a Bevin Boy in lieu of National Service for two years. On returning to the railway, Ken had been promoted to fireman in his absence and became a passed fireman in 1958, which meant he was a qualified driver awaiting a driving vacancy. However, it wasn't until ten years later, after countless hours of driving to cover for holidays and sickness etc, that he was finally promoted to driver in 1968. In 1974, Ken did a year as acting Traction Inspector at Newcastle before being promoted to Train Crew Supervisor at the new diesel depot at Cambois where he remained until taking early retirement in 1990 at the age of 62 after 45 years service. Since 1992, Ken has been a volunteer driver on the North Tyne Steam Railway and is still enjoying it at the ripe old age of 81!

The Blyth & Tyne branch once ran from Manors Junction, Newcastle, to Newbiggin by the sea, a distance of 25 miles. There were 16 stations, namely: Manors North, Jesmond, West Jesmond, South Gosforth, Long Benton, Benton Backworth, Seghill, Seaton Delaval, Hartley, Newsham, Bebside, Bedlington, North Seaton, Ashington and the terminus at Newbiggin. A branch line ran from Bedlington junction to Morpeth connecting with the East Coast Main Line, which included two stations at Choppington and Hepscott; this was a double line from Bedlngton to Choppington and single line from there to Morpeth. Another branch ran from Hartley to Monkseaton where it connected with the North Tyneside electric loop, though there were no stations on this line and it was single line throughout for approx 4 miles.
      The original Blyth & Tyne railway ran from Blyth to Percy Main on the Tyne, but after it was absorbed by the North Eastern Railway in 1874, other extensions were built. A steam passenger service ran from Manors (approx a quarter mile from Newcastle Central) to Newbiggin, 25 miles distance running an express service between Manors and Backworth in both directions on the North Tyneside electric line, the intermediate stations being served by the electric trains and with a journey time of 1 hour and 5mins.
      The trains were worked mainly by crews from South Blyth shed using ex North Eastern Class G5 0-4-4T locos while others were worked by Heaton shed's Gresley V1 locos. Another service ran between Blyth and Monkseaton on the North Tyne electric loop (popularly known as the Monkey) and were formerly worked by Sentinel steam coaches and later by push-pull trains with 2 coaches and a G5 loco. This branch was known as the Avenue Branch as it crossed an avenue of trees associated with Seaton Delaval Hall owned by Lord Hastings. In 1956 the stations of Seghill and Seaton Delaval were closed and the passenger service was altered to run between Newbiggin and Monkseaton via the Avenue branch, which then meant passengers had to change to trains on the North Tyne Loop to get to Newcastle. This was worked by South Blyth crews; a push-pull service with a G5 loco and 3 coaches on an hourly basis, with the journey time taking about 45mins both ways.

(Left) Choosing suitable photos to illustrate Ken's Hedley's contribution to this page has been something of a dilemma, until I saw this train ticket for sale on eBay. The standard Edmondson 2nd class cheap day return card ticket was used universally across the railway network once upon a time. This is the severed half of a return ticket between Newsham and Blyth, perhaps used by a commuter or shopper. We can tell that the ticket stub for the outward journey from Newsham to Blyth has been retained by railway staff at Blyth station, however the remaining part of the ticket for the return journey was not collected by railway staff at Newsham station, hence its survival to this day. It's a wonder it didn't end up on the fire or in the bin, as railway tickets had no real value for journeys made, unless of course it was retained for sentimental reasons or it was a commemorative ticket, or one used by a rail enthusiast for a route that was about to be closed.

(Right) The ticket immediately made me think of Ed Orwin's fantastic collection of archive material of the B & T, which includes this interesting photo, showing the interior of the booking hall at Blyth station. Ed informs me that the ticket office is not of Newsham Station, which many people think, since Newsham would not be identifying itself as a destination as indicated by the boards above the ticket windows. Blyth station had three ticket windows in its foyer and the way the destinations are presented makes him 99% sure that the photo is of Blyth station ticket office. The left window advertises Newsham, Newcastle and the south via Tynemouth and Jesmond, the window on the right Newsham, Newbiggin, Morpeth and the north, all of which would make sense at Blyth, but nowhere else on the Blyth & Tyne. I would dare suggest that the photo is post WW2 late 40's possibly early 50's given the fashion - raincoats and trilby hats. The woman's hair is very 1940's too. I wonder which film star it is modelled on? Does the lady have a Poodle Cut or Marcel Wave, or is it a Betty Davis cut - typical of the early 1950s? The coving above the clock shows an interesting line and square-diamond shape pattern in the plasterwork suggesting an ornate ceiling. The ticket office windows illustrate some nice touches in the NER's interior design. The glazed tiles at Blyth were dark on the lower part of the wall and lighter on the upper half with a dark tile dado. It is very interesting to see the way that the stone arches above the windows have been cut.The time on the clock (08.08hrs) would suggest that the passengers are heading for Newcastle, though one would have thought that regular local commuters wouldn't be deliberating over the timetable, they would be just getting on with it. However, the timetable reveals a 08.12 service Mon-Sat that went via Newsham north to Newbiggin. The next service south was 08.47. The other possibility is that it is 20:08 hrs (8.08pm) and they have just returned from a day out and are looking at any timetable notices as they leave the station entrance, which is on their left down a slope. The ticket windows look to be closed, and the way the light is falling on the far wall suggests that the ceiling light is illuminating the foyer rather than natural light. Perhaps it is mid-winter and until customers need to be served the staff have closed the hatches to keep out draughts - this is a distinct possibility given the notorious east winds on the coast at Blyth! But whatever is going on here, it is a superb photograph worthy of close scrutiny.

(Below) Another interesting item from Ed orwin's collection is this copy of the last winter timetable (7th September 1964 to 12th June 1965 inclusive). Now I can't think of any clever one-liners about the caveat on the bottom of the timetable, which reads - 'The train services shown here are subject to alteration or cancellation at short notice and do not necessarily apply at Bank and Public Holiday periods' - except to say that when this particular timetable was printed, Beeching's proposed closure of Blyth station had already been approved and despite fierce public opposition all passenger trains ceased just 11 weeks into the timetable. 

 

      In 1958 the steam trains were replaced by DMUs and ran until 1964 when all services were withdrawn under Beeching, the last train ran in November of that year, leaving the branch then freight only, and complete closure of the Avenue branch followed shortly after.
      Another line ran from Earsdon junction to Percy Main, where it connected with the North Tyne loop and was always freight only. This was worked on the permissive block system and was part of the original Blyth and Tyne railway, with connections to the docks on the north side of the River Tyne. In spite of the removal of the passenger trains, the branch was still a hive of activity with an abundance of goods and mineral traffic; there were connections into 22 collieries, both large and small, but all producing coal at this time.
      The port of Blyth was biggest coal shipping port on the North East coast shipping 6,000,000 tons of coal at its peak in 1963. There was a total of 24 coal shipping points, 20 belonging to BR and 4 to the NCB with coal shipping staiths on both sides of the River Blyth. There were two steam sheds at Blyth namely North and South on opposite sides of the river, which supplied crews and locos for this work on a 24 hour basis. The locos were mainly ex-NER class J21, J25, J27 and Q6 - and at the latter end of steam, Class B1, K1 and Ivatt 2MT and 4MTs. The staiths were worked by ex-Blyth & Tyne locos rebuilt from 0-4-4T to 0-6-0T and classified as J77.
     In 1959, a large power station was built on the north side of the river in two stages; first the 'A' station then the much bigger 'B' station. The demand for coal increased at the same time as the shipment of coal was reaching its peak, and this began to cause increased congestion on the branch by 1963. The withdrawal of the passenger service eased the situation somewhat, but still a lot of time was lost in transit; the decline in coal shipping started in 1964 and the gradual closure of the coal loading staiths began, first the South staiths in 1965, which meant all BR coal shipment being concentrated on the north side of the River Blyth. Then the North staiths closed in 1970, and the West staiths followed in 1983 leaving only one NCB coal shipping facility on the river, the coal coming direct from the colliery to ship. And when this closed, all coal shipment came to an end at Blyth.
      All coal traffic was now concentrated on the power station and was transported by loose coupled trains of 21 ton wagons, but when dieselisation came this was changed to a merry-go-round system of 30 air braked large capacity wagons. In January 1968 both steam sheds were closed, and all work and personnel were transferred to a newly built diesel depot at Cambois (pronounced Camus) a half mile from the power station.
      In the late 1960s, the coal trade began to run down and many smaller collieries were closed one by one, leaving the larger ones to supply the power station supplemented by coal from numerous opencast sites around the area, and later from collieries in the Durham coastal area. In 1970 Alcan UK Ltd opened an aluminium smelter and power station at Lynemouth, which was fed by coal direct from the colliery; the raw alumina is imported into Blyth harbour and transported by rail to the smelter. Alumina is also transported from Blyth to an Alcan smelter at Fort William in Scotland via Edinburgh, Glasgow and the West Highland line. The finished aluminium ingots were transported by rail for processing to South Wales.
      In the early 1980s more collieries began to close and in the aftermath of the 1984 miners strike a gradual rundown took place. By the 1990s only a handful remained, but these were eventually picked off one by one, until only Ellington colliery remained supplying the Alcan smelter direct. All the rest of the Durham and Northumberland coalfields were now gone.
      Finally, in 2001 the Blyth power station was closed due to lack of coal and today not a trace of it remains. The Diesel depot at Cambois closed in 1995 and the remaining men were transferred to Tyne Yard and various other locations. In 2005 the last colliery at Ellington closed which resulted in Alcan having to rely on opencast coal transported by road and supplemented by coal brought by rail from outside the area. Today the Blyth & Tyne branch like many others is but a pale shadow of its past, since all that remains is the Alcan traffic and coal imports from a new coal import dock built on the site of a former shipbreaking yard on the north side of the river. Today, all traces of collieries have disappeared beneath grassy hills and trees... 

 

(Above) One of the joys of compiling this page is making contact with interesting people, particularly Ed Orwin who I arranged to meet at York station to peruse his archive of photos, architects plans and track diagrams of the station at Blyth - Ed is currently building a 'N' gauge model of the station. I can't believe we were there five hours - the time just flew by! One of the things that came to light is the importance of this photo. The signal box (circled) at the end of Blyth station platforms was elevated on a brick column and cantilevered out over the tracks to each side of it. During a bombing raid by the Luftwaffe on Friday 25th April 1941, the box received a direct hit which killed the signalman, John Hollon Elliott Norfolk, age 51 of 8 Railway Cottages, Bebside, who was on duty at the time as a favour to one of his colleagues. The signal box was never rebuilt - all its controls being handed over to the Renwick Road Crossing box, which ended up with special operating instructions right up to the closure of Blyth station in November 1964. The bombing raid caused a lot of damage to the surrounding railway infrastructure and many houses on the south side of the station were damaged beyond repair and subsequently demolished. It is said that a wheel set from a railway wagon was blown over the town into Ridley Park! Hearsay, me-thinks, even though Ken Hodgetts, a distant relative of mine, remembers his mother talking about 'the banger' that hit and the blast. Click here to see a full aerial view of this shot.

(Below) A classic study from Ed Orwin's collection of Class J27s being prepared for another hard day's graft at South Blyth shed. It looks like a glorious day for a bit of light loco maintenance judging by the very relaxed ambience of the crewman here at South Blyth Shed. I would dare say by the length and direction of the shadows that it is early in the morning. You can almost smell the aroma of warm metal, grease, oil and smoke, and ash and coal; it is quite a unique smell, even pleasant - and the gentle simmering and hissing of the engines as they stand idle in readiness for another hard days work will rekindle memories for railwaymen and spotters. Built by the North British Locomotive Company Works No.18364 as NER No. 1029, in May 1908 she became LNER 5819. No. 65819 stands on road 1 and 65814 on road 2 of what was the first engine shed to be built at South Blyth. Both engines show their home shed as 52F. Withdrawn in October 1966 she was scrapped at Hughes-Bolckow, North Blyth in February 1967.

    

(Below and inset right) Cowpen Road Crossing and box. I remember the crossing being there, complete with gates and the rails across the road still in situ, seemingly awaiting the arrival of a train that never did come, but the crossing box and water tower were long gone. Beyond the fence on the right is the rear of the 6-road engine shed - and from this angle, between the crossing box and the shed was the turntable. There was short siding by the turntable where two huge NER snowploughs were kept. The billboards on the side of the water tower help date the picture. One is advertising Lonnie Donegan and Dickie Valentine in the 'Six-Five Special'. The musical show was based on the BBC's first rock 'n' roll programme, an innovated idea in those days - long before 'Top of the Pops' arrived on the scene. It was called the 'Six-Five Special' as it was broadcast at five past six on Saturday evening. The 'live' show was launched on air immediately after the abolition of the 'Toddlers' Truce' - so-called because the BBC's television broadcast was closed down between 6pm and 7pm to allow parents to put children to bed. Disc jockey Pete Murray was its presenter, using the catchphrase - 'Time to jive on the old six five…' The show opened with action shots of steam trains accompanied by the programme's theme song, played and sung by the show's resident band, Don Lang and the Frantic Five, which began with the words 'The Six-Five Special's comin' down the line, The Six-Five Special's right on time...' For more Fifties nostalgia click here to visit David Hey's page on 1950's childhood memories. The film poster also features Kenneth More in the 1955 film, 'Raising a Riot' showing at the Central Cinema in Blyth. The cinema - or 'flicks' or picture house, as most people called it - was built on the site of the previous Central Hall, which was destroyed by fire on 27th January 1923. The second billboard on the water tower is for the Essoldo cinema (see photo inset right of Ed Orwin's superb 'n'-gauge model of the water tower and signal box - the full layout will be featured on this site soon...watch this space!) The billboard displays a poster for 'Pal Joey', a 1957 film loosely adapted from the musical play of the same name, starring Rita Hayworth (top billing), Frank Sinatra and Kim Novak. The film was a box office success and also earned four Academy Award nominations and two Golden Globe nominations. Many critics considered the film as the definitive Frank Sinatra vehicle, Sinatra won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his role as the wise-cracking, hard-bitten Joey Evans. The Essoldo and Central were two of four cinemas in the town, the others being the the Roxy and the Wallow. The last to go was the Wallow in 2004, and Blyth has no cinemas today.

(Above) Blyth Station frontage in British Railways days. If only it was possible to identify the registration plate of the van. The reasons being, it would narrow down the date of the photo taken between the station closing on 2nd Nov 1964 and the introduction of Thames Anglia van in June 1961. There were two variants of van. The basic 5cwt model had painted bumpers and wing mirrors but the more upmarket 7cwt van had chrome bumpers and wing mirrors. Looking at the chrome hubcaps, it makes me believe that the van has white painted bumpers. They look white as opposed to greyish like the hubcaps. The number plate helps narrow things down a bit since the plates changed as of 1st January 1963 with the first 'A'-letter suffix. But at least we know the van type was introduced in 1961 and the station closed 1964. So as it is, the photo is more or less dated. (See Ed Orwin's comments about the actual date in the caption below) Note also the British Railways Scammel Scarab trailer on the left. Very common in their day across the whole country; the vehicles were used to transport goods and parcels to and from the station goods shed to businesses and homes in the town. The trailer was hauled by a three-wheeled tractor unit, and were renowned for their manoeuvrability and very tight turning circle - a versatile articulated vehicle in its day.

(Below Left) A DMU departs Blyth station on 12th August 1964. These Diesel Multiple Units replaced the push-pull steam trains that operated for many years on the line. The station had flower beds and grassed areas on the platform which can be made out in the foreground. And just in front of the canopy the name of Blyth was written out in whitewashed bricks on a flower bed, however in this view the station is not looking very pristine. The lamps only have their stands left and some tracks to the right have already been removed. Beyond the station canopy is the roof of the town's gas works and Delaval Terrace is on the right. The passenger service to Blyth ended on 2nd November 1964, with the last train leaving Blyth for Newsham at 11.59pm that Saturday evening. ED Orwin writes: the photo was taken by the Blyth News official photographer on the 12th August to augment an article for that week's paper about impending closure of the line, a final appeal to keep the service open having just failed. Similarly, the station frontage (above) was also taken on 12th August, by the same Blyth News photographer, for the same reason.

(Above Right) Demolition of the station in 1972. Not a scaffolding pole in sight! I wonder what today's Health & Safety Inspectorate would have to say about the chap throwing stuff off the roof into the back of the lorry? He's standing in such a precarious position! Among the youngsters looking on, is one chap to the right wearing an old Donkey Jacket with vinyl waterproof material across the shoulders - at the time a standard issue jacket for miners who had the joy of having NCB printed on the back. Don't see Donkey Jackets much these days now that I come to think about it. The lorry I believe, judging by the shape of the cab roof, looks very much like a Foden S21 tipper - affectionately nicknamed Mickey Mouse. Whether it is a three or four-axle lorry cannot be determined. Matchbox made a delightful little model of the lorry, and that thought has me ducking involuntarily just in case I get cuffed again!

 

(Above-Below) Enlargement of the 1934 LNER map showing the position of the Spout Nos 1-8 on the South Side Staiths. (Below) This view looking south down Quay Road shows how the South Staiths looked from street level. The immediate thing that comes to mind is that the Supt's Office is now a British Railways (BR) Office. Straight away that tells us that the photo was taken after 1948 when Britain's 'Big Four' Railway Companies - Southern Railway (SR), Great Western Railway (GWR), London Midland & Scottish Railway (LMSR) and the London North Eastern Railway (LNER) - were nationalised by the Government. Prior to 1948, the LNER owned the Blyth staiths and trackwork. It is difficult to tell if there are any railway wagons or engines up on the staith, though in the distance a semaphore signal can be seen in the 'off' position, therefore the staiths must surely still be in use, and we are looking at a photo taken pre-1964. The other thing to note is the lack of motorcars or even lorries in the photo, while the gas street lamp is also of interest. Like many towns, Blyth had its own gas works where Town Gas was produced from the burning of coal in the days before Natural Gas was discovered in the North Sea. I remember a man from the Gas Board coming to our little colliery row in the 1970s to convert our gas oven. The air-gas mixture for a good burn is very different between 'Town' and 'Natural' gas, therefore a huge conversion programme was carried out across the whole country between 1967-1977, in which every domestic and industrial gas appliance was converted. The Blyth Gas Works once dominated the town, but with the introduction of North Sea Gas the main plant was demolished, and the old gasometer (storage tank) used for storing the new natural gas.

(Above) In this image we are looking north up the river, with our backs to the Pilots Jetty. Just to left through the timber structure is the southern end of Quay Road and the vessel at spout no 5 is Camroux III. There were 3 vessels in this class: Camroux I, II and III, which were nicknamed 'flat irons' on account of their bridges being just above deck level. This was to enable them to get under the bridges on the River Thames enroute to the power stations at Fulham and Battersea. As the eye moves away across the river we can see the dredger 'Cowpen' making its way upriver and to its right is the North Staith. Above the dredger in the murk can be seen the chimneys of Blyth 'A' power station, but once again the 'B' station is incomplete, there just appears to be a girder frame to the west of the completed chimneys so it places the picture about 1962. The two gentlemen by the spout are doing what comes naturally to North easterners and that is maim a donkey! - which, in case you're wondering, means talking the hind legs off of one!

(Below) The photographer is standing on the pilots' jetty looking upstream and the vessel moored beneath No 1 spout is the 'Parkwood' of Middlesbrough. Note how its bow is quite high in relation to the stern - perhaps waiting for her next load of coal? Should this be the case then it dates the photo at pre-1964. In the foreground, the elderly BHC waterboat is attached to a hose, which might indicate it is an oil-fired steamboat taking on fuel? However, the deck is wet which suggests it has just been washed down, or, as the name implies, it is a water boat, and just that - a vessel used for replenishing the fresh water supply on ships waiting to be loaded in the harbour? The small boat to the right is called 'Cambois' and is about to moor up, with a crewman on the bow ready to tie her up. Looking into the distance, the Seven Stars pub basks in the sun across the river, and judging by the long shadows in the foreground it is late evening, which probably accounts for the relaxed ambience of the scene; a crewman can be seen propping up the rail on the right side of the Parkwood, while the black smoke belching from the stack adds considerably to the composition - this, for me, is one the best photos on the page…a great shot that might inspire an artist into producing a great painting. 

(Above Left-Right) The photographer has turned a full 180 degrees to take this view looking downstream. The boats in the water are called Foys: small flat bottom boats used by the Stevedores to move around the river to help moor ships at their berths. Fred Wagstaff relates the story of the time one of the boats was manoeuvring to take the mooring line off a ship, and the anchor was inadvertently dropped. It landed plumb amidships on the Foy boat, throwing the occupants up in the air and breaking the boat in two! However, neither man was injured but both were forced to retire to the Dun Cow pub to recover from their ordeal! Another point of interest is the big old American car, which I believe belonged to the photographer since it appears in several other pictures to be found in the Blyth News archive. It is a 1955-6 Chevrolet Bel Air - quite a status symbol and very unusual in a place like Blyth. Certainly it is a long way from home! To the right of the car is the conical-shaped Starboard hand buoy, so called because on the way into South Harbour it was kept on the right (starboard) of the ship, but on leaving harbour it was kept on the left side (port). There were two maker buoys either side of the entrance that indicated the navigable channel in and out of the harbour. The visible letters SO relate to the first two letters of the word SOUTH, which is written in full around the circumference. The Starboard side is marked green and Port side in red. The rear of the Lifeboat Station can be seen in the middle distance - the photo (above right) shows the front view and slipway. Click here to read Blyth Lifeboat's well-decorated history.

(Inset Right) In the background of the photo (above left), the eagle-eyed might spot a steam engine working the headshunt of the LNER exchange sidings. It is a BHC's 0-4-0 saddle tank built by Hawthorn Leslie, which was delivered new to South Harbour in 1912. During almost sixty years of service with the BHC it carried the 'BHC no. 2' ID plates on its tank sides - No 2 being a replacement for an earlier locomotive. It was sold to the Yorkshire Dales Railway at Embsay for restoration in 1971. During its stay there it was named 'Pony', before being sold to the Chatham Docks railway in 1998 where it was renamed Achilles. It is currently going through another restoration at Chatham Dockyard Railway. Click here to visit the website. 

PART THREE - SOUTH HARBOUR, TIMBER YARDS and COWPEN COLLIERY

 
(Above-Below)  We start Part 3 with a splendid aerial view of Blyth South Harbour by Google circa 2006 alongside a section of the 1934 LNER map showing the network of lines serving the Blyth Harbour Commission's (BHC) harbour and timber yards. (Below) The 1934 map has been superimposed over the Google image to illustrate the extent of trackwork in relation to the present day. Click on image to enlarge, then click again to see full size.

 

(Above-Below) The top photo was taken from the Blyth High Light behind Bath Terrace (the structure is featured at the top of the page). The grassland in the foreground is part of Ridley Park, which opened its gates in 1904. Beyond the railway sidings is Blyth South Harbour established in 1881, and on the extreme left of the harbour can be seen the BHC's single-road engine shed and a tall white hexagonal structure called the Low Light: a navigational aid used by ships approaching the harbour at night. Click on the 1934 LNER map (above right) showing the position of both the Low and High Lights, which, in conjunction with illuminated red and green navigation lights, provided a safe entrance to the river and harbour. Click here to see an aerial photograph that helps identify various features of the harbour. Among the Blyth Harbour Commission's buildings in the distance is a steam crane, which leads us onto the photo (below) showing a closer view of the railway crane operating on the quayside. On the extreme right is the front of the engine shed, beyond which is the Pilot's Watch-House and Customs Watch-House, and just visible in the distance is the south staith (the eagle-eyed might even spot the rear of a Class J77 0-6-0T). Berthed amongst the motley collection of vessels in the dock is the vehicle and passenger ferry that operated the High Ferry crossing point from 1924-1964, hence it dates the photo at a time when we can be certain the little saddle tank BHC No. 2, built for the BHC in 1912, will be about somewhere. There is a lot of activity in yard, though it looks very cluttered - 'ship shape and Bristol fashion' it most certainly is not! The pile of rocks to the rear of the steam crane is pale in colour suggesting it has recently been quarried. I wonder if the rocks were to be used to strengthen the harbour or pier walls, or perhaps repair storm damage? As is usually the case, when you study the detail of a good quality photo it raises lots of questions…

 

(Above) My first impression of this shot is that the cameraman must've had a good head for heights! This photo was taken from the boom of one of the West Quay cranes and gives a wonderful perspective of the various levels of trackwork that are not apparent on the 1934 LNER map. On the North Quayside, just above the Transit Shed roof, a rake of wooden bodied wagons are standing on the gradient leading down to the BHC exchange sidings, and just above them are the empty LNER sidings, a large section of which is already devoid of rails. This gives us our first clue as to the date of the image. It must be 1965-66, just prior to the demolition of the South Side Staiths. Today the High Light is the only distinguishing landmark that remains, which seems to stand guard like a vigilant watchman observing his domain. It is hard to imagine how the landscape must have looked when the tower was first built close to the waters edge in 1788 - the extent of land reclamation is plain to see in this photo. But then it is sad to see that there are no rail wagons at all on the rusty rails serving the North Quay and the five cranes are standing idle. The BHC yard looks quiet too; we can just make out the engine shed and just beyond that the 1920 lifeboat station with its white doors. Between the Lifeboat Station and the South Side Staiths are the Pilots, Customs and HBC offices - and along the staith we can make out spouts 1-4. Today, of course, besides the odd few buildings, the whole area here has changed; even the railway embankments have been removed for the construction of modern warehouses. If it weren't for the evidence in old maps and photos such as this, it would be hard to grasp the full extent of trackwork that once served South Harbour. The railway was a major feature of the Blyth landscape for decades. Even the timber yards to the south have gone, albeit the area is still used for storage and distribution by road transport and touring caravans are stored in the southern most timber yard. But at the time this photo was taken, we have to bear in mind that it was not long after the Beeching Report was published in 1963, and the closures notices that were proposed had a massive impact on railways across the whole country. The town of Blyth became a major victim, not only losing its industrial railway, but also its passenger services in 1964. However, in the not to distant future, it is hoped that the railway will make a comeback to Blyth, especially in view of the town's rising population along with that of Ashington, besides which there are potential rail commuters living in many other smaller towns and villages along the Blyth & Tyne route. It has always surprised that the Metro was never extended northwards into the area using the existing network of railway and trackbeds that are available. The area is well suited for a light rapid transport system that could be extended from Whitley Bay up through Monkseaton onwards to Newsham, Bebside (for Blyth park and ride next to Spine road) Bedlington, Ashington and Newbiggin. There is no reason why this service could not be operated on the same lines as the Metro route to Sunderland and South Hylton; perhaps the tracks could be shared with heavy rail? Who knows what the future might hold? One thing for certain, though, road traffic in and out of Newcastle is increasing at an alarming rate and the city is already get gridlocked during the rush hours. In my view, the redevelopment of the railway is long overdue - an alternative form of transport is desperately needed…

(Above-Below) Another excellent detailed photo of South Harbour, this time viewed from West Quay looking towards the Fish Quay, though it's not an easy photograph to date. The Triumph 2000 (dark coloured car facing away from camera) is a MK1 first introduced in 1963. It has 7 digits on its numberplate - the first 'A' suffix registration was introduced in 1963, the same year as the car. So it might well be an 'A' registered vehicle; it certainly has a suffix letter. The Ford in front of it is a Zephyr MK2, which was in production from 1956 to 1962. The lorries in the photo are in the bright red British Road Services (BRS) livery (circa 1950) and the one on the left is a Foden type FG 8 Wheeler, a popular lorry modelled by Dinky and Corgi Toys. The next lorry on the harbour side is a Thames Trader and behind that is another British Road Services Leyland Octopus/Beaver. The lorry on the right is also a red BRS vehicle and is in the shape of an Albion Reiver, but it clearly has Leyland written across the bonnet so it is most probably a Leyland LAD which came from the amalgamation of Leyland, Albion and Dodge over a ten-year period. The compressor in the foreground looks as if it is being used in the repair of some wooden structure, probably a section of the staithes or a part of the docks or dockside buildings. All the concrete looks very new and white so it cannot have been there for long. Everybody seems to have abandoned work to watch the lifting of a huge wooden container box lying across the ship already attached to two of the ships cranes…the crane cables are very taught, suggesting the box is about to be lifted onto the Foden truck. I don't know about you, but it looks a rather BIG box for the truck…wonder what today's Health & Safety Executive would make of it? All the details in the photo offer clues to the date, and in particular the absence of rail wagons in the picture suggest it is 1963 or soon after. Certainly it is pre-1970. (Below) Turning away from the BHC yard this is the view looking south. The cranes on the left are operating on the north quay and the transit shed dominates the centre of the scene.

 

(Above-Below) The photographer has continued his walk past the transit shed, turned 180 degrees and photographed this view from the rail crossover adjacent to the west quay, which is just visible on the right. We are now looking north along the north quay. The name of the vessel cannot be made out, but it is delivering pit props imported from Scandinavia. Looking at the cranes a huge bundle of props are being lowered into a railway wagon. It is interesting to see the pit props carelessly discarded along the quayside and the track - potential hazards for Health & Safety men to get worked up about! On the horizon, beyond the large stacks of roof tiles are the exchange sidings. The large building is the transit shed, which obscures the view of the BHC yard beyond. The South Timber Yard is where countless thousands of pit props were stored - beautifully stacked like Gulliver's matchsticks by the little people. Quite a sight to see the men manhandling what are in reality tree trunks. Thousands of tons all moved by hand; no forlkift trucks in sight. Both photos are very difficult to date. The only guidelines are the rail wagons, but both styles - metal and wooden - were in use side by side for many years. I recall hot summer days when dad took us to the beach, and as we passed the huge stacks of timber I never once gave it a thought. But the Mermaid Cafe and ice cream was the only thing I had in mind!

To be continued...

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