RootsChat.Com
England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Northumberland => Topic started by: BlythSpartan on Wednesday 06 January 16 22:15 GMT (UK)
-
Hello all,
This is my first post, despite being an interested "Forum Voyeur" for a few years, having begun some research of my own recently, I was hoping I could call on your help.
Although, not specifically looking for individuals at the moment (it all depends on how the research develops!), I've been looking into the history of two of Blyth's less famous sporting clubs!
I have recently been appointed as Secretary of Blyth Cricket and Rugby Club and have been delving into the past following a chance discovery of a newspaper clipping dating back to 1893, regarding the formation of a Rugby Club in Blyth.
"Blyth Rovers Rugby Football Club", were founded at Browns Cocoa Rooms in Turner Street in June 1893, under the Presidency of a Mr. Alfred Thompson and Hon.Secretary Mr. George Reynolds.
The club initially played at a plot acquired at the Recreation Grounds, although some rugby had been played at Blagdon Terrace (I don't know where either of these places are/were).
It has been traditionally accepted (in local rugby circles) that rugby in Blyth was first played in 1922, with various guises of a Blyth Rugby Club folding and reforming until the current club was founded in 1961, later moving to share the Cricket Ground on Plessey Road, where both Clubs happily reside today.
I was wondering and I'd be hugely grateful to anyone for any information on either of the clubs, if anyone had any relatives involved or are aware of any stories, particularly the Rugby side of things prior to the 1960's.
I have further names, from other snippets, including Blyth Rovers first team selection, which I can elaborate on should the conversation take off!
Thanks in advance
:)
-
Welcome to rootschat :)
At the moment I don't have any additional info but could suggest that a trawl through other issues of the Blyth News housed in the library might be useful.
Otherwise I'm sure there'll be someone along soon.
Christine
-
Thanks for the reply, Christine. I've begun the hunt through the Blyth News already so will turn some more information there, I'm sure!
Hopefully find someone who know's something to put some flesh on the bones!
Thanks again.
-
There was a tennis club there too, I belonged to it for a short time in the very early '50s.
We sometimes watched cricket matches on a Saturday afternoon, but can't remember any details, and nothing about rugby.
Good luck, it sounds an interesting project.
-
The current rugby club formed in 1961 and played at Cowpen playing fields. They used the Windmill as a base for post match tipples. They didn't move to Plessey Road until the 70's - it was actually one of the Tennis Club members who helped to ensure that the agreement was reached!
Having searched a little further through the Blyth News from 1893/94, it appears both Cricket and Rugby were met with fairly luke warm enthusiasm, Blyth being very much an established football town.
-
Did they play League or Union? It was very much a class distinction in those days, probably still is.
-
It was Union then (still is at Blyth RFC) I'm not sure if the distinction had been made at that point. Although, the insistence on complete amateurism by the Rugby elite, to the point where players werent even allowed expenses, meant that it put a lot of people off the game in the north of England, as working class folk from coal towns and villages just couldn't afford to take the time off to play sport. That's what ultimately led to the League/Union split and probably what stunted the growth of the game up here.
-
Finding the location of Blagdon Terrace is driving me crazy! I have found various references to it, and I know that 1 Bladgon Terrace was a school run by a Mrs Bowman, the school on was also used to house soldiers during WW1 and was referred to as Blagdon Terrace during that time. I had thought it was just the row of houses along Blagdon Street, which is now an extension of Bridge Street. The was an old field behind Blagdon Street which I had thought would be the sports field, however, games were still being played at Blagdon Terrace AFTER the field had been built on. So that destroys that theory for me.
I'm struggling with this one, but one item that might interest you is this little newspaper clipping from the Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail, 4 May 1930, which is about the Rugby Club being disbanded altogether and the reasons why.
P
-
This clipping is from The Shields Daily Gazette, 16 June 1893, about the formation of the Ruby Club. The meeting took place in Brown's Cocoa Rooms, also known at the time as Brown's Dining Rooms, which you can see outside the railway station in the picture here;
https://www.flickr.com/photos/51893012@N05/17490500518/in/album-72157641931957224/
Last time I was in Blyth the building was still used as a cafe.
P
-
Thanks ever so much - it was the clipping you attached from 1893 that was actually what sparked off my hunt. Having begun my search at the library through the Blyth News, I have found a few match reports - the Rovers not being very successful at all it appears, losing every game and not scoring any points!
Sadly for the Rovers, the last mention I can find in the Blyth News was from 6th Jan 1894 with a match report from a game against Choppington - I could find no mention of rugby in Blyth again until a match report about "the newly formed Blyth Rugby club" named Blyth Rangers in October 1894.
It appears that Rugby in Blyth would suffer from forming and reforming right up until the 1961 formation, still it would be interesting to fill in the gaps!
For anyone who may be interested the Blyth Rovers first match was against South Shields West End at the Recreation Ground in September 1893. The team that day was:
Full Back: McCormack
Three Quarters: Alder, H.Weyergang, T.Hope, Blackburn
Half Backs: F.Ryder, T.Henderson
Forwards: J.P Isherwood, Jacques, John Hope, James Hope, J.Ryder, G.Robson, J.Aynsley, Walker
-
Phil's first newspaper cutting mentions Mr. J. Knott - that would be either my Dad or Grandad. Dad would be 24 in 1930, and I know he was on a rugby team because I have a photo. But I don't think it was the Blyth team.
You would never see him as a rugby player as he was short and slim - maybe played back because he ran fast? If only he was here to ask, he died in 1990.
-
In the clubhouse there is a team photo with a J.Knott in it...the year eludes me at the moment. It may well be that it's the same image you have, but you're more than welcome to pop by and have a look sometime.
I'll try and get a copy uploaded onto here as well.
-
Yes, it seems for various reasons the Rugby Club had a precarious existence, either through want of skilled players or funds. A shame really. A bumpy existence.
I still haven't managed to discover where the Recreation Ground or Blagdon Terrace was.
This clipping from the Shields Daily Gazette 3 August 1897
P
-
I've been asking the locals this evening if they'd heard of this Blagdon Terrace, but to no avail. That clipping is really interesting - I think what I want to get out of the exercise is a time line of rugby in Blyth, including the many failures, before the game took root and find out more about the chaps who were determined to make it succeed - and hopefully find some links with the current members!
-
Here are two pictures from our clubhouse wall. One from the 1929/30 season and one from the 1933/34 (so even though the club disbanded in 1930, they were up and running again soon after - again!). Both pictures have a certain J.Knott in each of them...
-
Thanks so much :) Yes that's my Dad! I have a copy of that first photo somewhere, had a look yesterday and didn't find it.
I've never seen him looking tough like that, (before I was born). He was always very subdued at home, coming from a family with 5 sisters, marrying into a family of 4 sisters, and having 2 daughters, no sons. Also serving in the RN in WW2 must have changed him a lot.
As to the reasons why rugby didn't take off in Blyth, among other things it must have been the popularity of football, and especially Blyth Spartans , still doing well today so I've heard.
We used to live in an upstairs flat at 92 Kingsway, and I often watched matches from our front window - before the houses opposite were built.
-
I have found Blagdon Terrace, but I don't know if anybody here will be interested in knowing anything about it. Let me know.
P ;D
-
Yes please! It's been driving me crazy too. Spent hours last night looking closely at OS maps with no success.
Christine
-
OK. This is Blagdon Terrace.
I knew you'd be surprised! I was too.
P
-
I found it eventually by following the Enumerator through Blyth and he went along Belgrave Crescent followed by Twizell Street, Ridley Villa's, Link View Villa, Blagdon Terrace and then along Wensleydale Terrace to the Tile Sheds. I never thought it'd be the Hotel. I had no idea it was a terrace of houses before it became the Gwentland Hotel and then the Ridley Park Hotel after that. Such a shame it was demolished last year, but thankfully, online mapping hasn't been updated yet for that road so I was able to identify the building by the old name board.
I am guessing now, but I suspect that the playing field would have been behind Wensleydale Terrace, rather than on the coarse grass of the Links. I have trawled through all of my maps and through online maps too, but there is no mention of a playing field at that location between 1895 and 1938.
There was at one time an old racecourse for horses nearby, but I doubt that would have been used for football or rugby.
At least we know where the Terrace was for now.
P
-
The links wasn't always course grass - they used to play cricket and golf on there before a lot of it was taken over by the harbour commission. They could have played rugby there too though I never saw any reference to it when I was researching the links.
Well found though :D
Christine
-
I can also tell you that originally Blagdon Terrace was three individual houses.
In 1898 no. 1 was a school run by a Mrs Bowman.
On the 1901 census;
No. 1 was occupied by William Soulsby the Draper along with his wife and brother.
No. 2 was occupied by Margaret Tweedy along with her brother and Uncle.
No. 3 by Charles Barron, a Building Contractor and his family
The 1911 census;
No. 1 was occupied by George Moffat a Tax Collector
No. 2 still Miss Tweedy
No. 3 still the Barron family.
During WW1 No. 1 was used to accommodate soldiers. Only no. 1 got mention for that use.
I'd now like to know when the terrace was converted into the Gwentland Hotel, and when it changed it's name to Ridley Park Hotel
Fascinating stuff.
P
-
That's really good stuff, love it!
The mention of Blagdon Terrace as a playing field, from what I read, was used prior to 1893. The Blyth Rovers established that year, weren't the "pioneers of rugby in Blyth" as rugby had been played at Blagdon Terrace a few years previous, according to one clipping I've come across.
-
Please post the clippings and your research progress with us. Others out there in time will come across this subject and might be able to add more to it.
P
-
I've been looking at an old photograph which shows a cricket match taking place on flat(ish) land right next to Blagdon Terrace. I don't know the exact date but it must be earlier than 1905 which is when Wright's Timber Yard took over that piece of land.
Christine
-
If you are unable to share it c-side, please email it to me and I will compare it with what I have here in my collection, because it may be an image I have, but no other information. It will help add to the knowledge base.
Ta very much
P
-
I'll get everything I have uploaded as soon as I'm able - most of what I've gathered is all print offs of things. Whether you're fans of Rugby, Cricket or not a fan of anything like that at all, I think this all adds to building the picture of Blyths history.
-
If it was mine I'd have posted it on here by now ;D but I will email it to you.
It's regularly on view at the battery as it forms part of three display boards showing the beach before WW1, between the wars and after WW2. It's amazing how much of the links have disappeared in the last 100 years or so.
Christine
-
Good find PHodgetts - it's been niggling at my mind too as the name was very familiar.
-
The thing that is bothering me now, (as pointed out to me by a friend whilst discussing this topic) is that football is mentioned as being played at Blagdon Terrace, but not actually rugby.
P
-
Thanks to c-side for pointing me in the right direction, I can now show you some postcard scans from my collection showing Blagdon Terrace playing field. I shall call it a playing field because it would seem various games of sport and recreation were played there. The pictures date to pre WW1, probably before 1910. I got myself in a bit of a knot, because I wasn't thinking of the Blagdon Terrace area as part of The Links, when in fact at the time they were pretty much one and the same place! Thrilling to be able to see what was there so many years ago, and what the land and buildings were used for. Thanks c-side ;D
Enjoy
P
https://www.flickr.com/photos/51893012@N05/24267802396/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/51893012@N05/23926129809/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/51893012@N05/24185765962/in/dateposted-public/
-
And after a bit more research and little bit of effort I was able to reunite two old images that got separated a long time ago. See what you think.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/51893012@N05/23927846889/in/dateposted-public/
P
-
That building of the hotel has jogged my memory - if you were walking to the beach from Park Rd. turn right at the Park, and the hotel was on the left a few 100yds along. Then on the right was the Wellesley Nautical School, now just a wasteland, and then the beach along the left.
Is that right?
-
Yes, you are correct. The site of the Wellesley Nautical School is now a new build housing estate, and not a pretty one at that. They cram 'em in and stack 'em high these days. They're turning that part of town into a mini city in it's own right! Hardly an inch of ground left undeveloped, and no greenery.
P
-
As usual you did it again PH, great work !
I have just been along that road today,and we parked in that little Blagdon Terrace... so different with the Ridley gone, On Wensleydale road, there is still the little row of 4 terraced houses just past the end of the park , which I'm sure must be some age now,
They were there when I was a child, and I wondered if they too belonged to Lord Ridley at some time? Are you scratching your head PH? Dolly
-
Yes, that little row on old maps was called Ridley Place, and the detached house on the census in 1911 was Link View Villa, I think the gate posts have that name carved into them.
Scratching my head? I have no hair left after that lot! :o
P
-
Yes thats right P, I looked at that house Links View Villa which is now a nursing home by the looks of it. and does indeed still have the name on the stone pillars, but it was the 4 terraced houses that I wondered about, and wondered if it was ever one big house.
and you dident need to scratch your head .. you knew it all!
Your so right about the housing planning down there too, it's absolutely crammed, and they probably cost a bomb too! Thanks as ever, Dolly
-
The pictures date to pre WW1, probably before 1910.
Definitely before 1910. As I said earlier Wright's Timber Yard moved from what is now the bus station in the centre of Blyth and set up business just along from the Gwentland/Blagdon Terrace in 1905
Christine