Blyth History.

[skida]

My mole tells me there was a Ladies Clothes and Hat shop run by sisters and possibly called "Madame Soms". This was on Bowes Street and they also had a Kids Shop next door. I realise this isn't exactly the same location, but it is a bit of a coincidence that there should be two hat shops within a few hundred yards, both run by two sisters.

[pityackafromblyth]

The member in Australia says the family name of the two sisters (who had a hat shop) was Latimer.  There is a post here on RootsChat which shows a census return for that family, but there is no 'Mavis' in that family. It looks as though there may have been at least 3 such shops in Blyth from what has been posted recently, ie the one I am on about, the one at Rgent Street/Waterloo Road area, and also the Bowes Street one.

[pityackafromblyth]

Blyth people, have a look at welcometosparta.com   a website/forum for the supporters of the Spartans.  They have published a few photographs of old Blyth(into the 1960s) which I have never seen before. There are also links to other sites posted, there.

[Ridley12]

Some great pictures on there - thank you!

[pityackafromblyth]

Hoping someone here can provide the information.  I have a friend who used to visit Blyth in the course of his work back in the 1960s-1970s.  His 2 calls were at Redhead's sweet factory, and the second one was a wholesale tobacconist, owned or run by a Jimmy Hood. Does anyone recall where his place was situated ? My friend says it was on one of the main roads out of Blyth centre.

[Phodgetts]

The only tobacconist I know of was the little shop outside of the railway station which got demolished. I don't suppose it was a wholesalers though. The names I know were associated with that shop were Finlay and D Milligan. None of my family were smokers so the subject is one I have no real knowledge of.

I looked through the Newcastle telephone book from 1970 for a J Hood, in Blyth, but there is not one listed. I had hoped it would give an address.

P

[Phodgetts]

That very same phone book has these wholesalers listed;

Cruddis R T (Blyth) & Co. 7 King Street Blyth 3182

Mather J F  59 Regent Street Blyth 3170

P

[AlisdairGB]

Cruddis also had a wholesalers  on Cowpen Road (fits the description of "one of the main roads out of Blyth"

The building is now Scaramangas restaurant

[dolly dimples]

 Thats right Alisdair.   Cruddis on Cowpen Road, my friend used to work there around the seventies.
   They use to refill the Ciggies machines in different pubs etc'
     Sadly my friend died some years ago, so cant give any more details.
                                      Dolly