Hodgsons Buildings

[barryd]

Probably he was a miner then a riveter in the shipyards. Older people or terminally ill people were in the workhouse or poor house prior to death regardless of whether they were gainfully employed prior to moving to the poorhouse. Of course after Victorian times the workhouses received other names. I remember visiting my grandmother in the Chester-le-Street Workhouse. It was not called that then but it was the same buildings. Likewise the workhouse in Lanchester changed its name. Looking through the civil cemetery in nearby Hare Law, for records of burials in the 1940's the place of death is sometimes given as Newbiggin Road and the previous abode is given too. Newbiggin Road is code for the old workhouse in Lanchester. 

[brianstothard]

Hi everyone, my name is Brian and I'm new to this forum. I'm interested in Hodgsons Buildings as my wife lived there in the early 1950s and some of her siblings were born there. I'm obviously interested in Dot16's comments as she must have lived there at the same time.
If anyone involved in this thread back in 2009 is still here the site was on a corner between the Monkwearmouth to Newcastle railway line, Monkwearmouth goods yard and the Monkwearmouth Colliery site which is now home to Sunderland AFC. I'm still looking for photographs of the original buildings. The part that remains is now the home of a café and the office of A Love Supreme, a Sunderland AFC fan magazine.
One early poster on this thread said his family lived in no. 13. That's the same house my wife lived in but she also lived in no. 16
There is an old school building across the road which may have been the poor house referred to by earlier posters. I'll try and find more info on that
Brian

[ThompJack]

Hi Brian,
I was the originator of this post about Hodgsons Buildings. My wife's grandfather was born in 13˝ (I believe they may have sublet rooms hence the half). Someone sent me a photo of the remains which as you point out is a café. I can send you a copy but it sounds as though you are local so not interested in a modern pic. If you do un-earth a picture of the original buildings we would be most interested. Very interesting that they were still inhabited in the 1950's. Grandpa Jackson was born there in 1880 just 5 months after his father died in the poorhouse attached to Hodgsons Buildings.
You mention you are new to this forum, well you will find a very helpful bunch of guys who will take an interest. Good luck with your research.

[brianstothard]

Hi ThompJack
I found a website called Britain From Above but I'm not clever enough to add links but if you go to the site and search for Wearmouth Colliery there are a few photos, taken in the 1920s, that include Hodgsons Buildings. I've marked Hodgsons Buildings on a couple of the photographs. The large white house visible in the pictures is the building that is still there. The other houses have all gone.
One side of the houses faced onto Wreath Quay Road (which is still there but now called Millenium Way) This now runs over the railway line and past the south end of The Stadium of Light. The other side overlooked the north end of Monwearmouth Goods Yard while my wife's old house, number 16, was in the corner between Wreath Quay Road and the railway line.
Let me know if you find the pictures
regards
Brian

[ThompJack]

Hi Brian,
Brilliant!
I am familiar with the Britain From Above web site as I use it frequently. Unfortunately, not being a native of the NE I was unable to identify any landmarks in the area. Thanks very much, it has enabled me to identify the correct position on the map. In fact I've found the name marked on the 1919 OS map of the area. I have attached the 1919 map (I hope) of the area with Hodgson's Buildings shown.
I have also found the 1895 map but although Hodgson's is marked it isn't as clear.

Regards

Dave (ThompJack

[JohnTDE]

My grandfather, Charles William Saunders, was born in 1873 in 8 Hodgson's Buildings. I would be interested to know if anyone knows how the buildings were numbered. For instance, what number did the only existing building (the cafe) have?
I've attached an 1860 map overlain (roughly) onto modern Google Earth. It seems that Hodgson's Buildings was then on both sides of the street parallel to Edmonson's Street. It had a 'B.H.' at one end (is this 'bath house'?), with a Primitive Methodist Chapel next door to that.
AIGR (all information gratefully received)
John

[brianstothard]

Hi John,
I should be able to help you but I'm a bit busy at the moment. I will get back to you.

My wife lived in no. 13 and no. 16 in the 50's and has a rough idea of the numbering. Hodgson's Buildings did not reach as far south as Edmondson's Street. It was only 2 rows of houses surrounding a yard on the south side of Wreath Quay Road, behind the one existing building which we believe was no. 1 and was much larger then the other houses. This house was for many years a shop.
will get back as promised, regards
Brian

[JohnTDE]

Dear Brian

Thank you so much!

The attached oblique aerial shot from 1928 shows that the southern part of Hodgson's Buildings had already been demolished by then.

You're obviously a Sunderland man, so do you have any idea where Westcott Terrace was? My grandmother, Mary Ellen Miller, was living there at the time of her marriage to Charles William Saunders (1902). It was evidently demolished early too, as there is no record of it on the 1956 street index.

AIGR

John

[brianstothard]

Hi John
I googled Westcott Terrace Sunderland and found the following, which is amazing actually as I worked for Sunderland Public Works Department in the mid to late 60's as a clerk on building sites and one of my small sites was on the west side of Brandling Street and I had never heard of Westcott Terrace. Brandling Street is still there, near the site of Roker Park so you should be able to find it on Google earth.

 "Westcott Terrace was on the east side of Brandling Street, between
 Roker Baths Road and Cardwell Street. It will not be marked on a map as
 it was part of Brandling Street. It was common in Sunderland for a row
 of houses on a main road to be called a terrace and given a separate
 name, probably after the builder of the houses."

On the subject of Hodgsons Buildings I'm still not sure how many houses there were now. If as you say they strecthed down towards Edmondsons Street I wasn't aware of that, I've never seen houses numbers in any census over 16 or 18 which were all still there when my wife lived there.
Anyway i've just come in from the pub so I'll have another look at all this later

regards
Brian