Blyth

[rentaship]

Dairy at Ballast Hill. I can remember a small dairy being in that area but not sure if it was in Ballast Hill or not.  When heading for the docks from the town centre, passed the post office, and before the current changes to the road layout were made, did you not come to the junction to turn into Quay Road. On the right on the corner was the pub which is still there and immediately to the left was a row of buildings with some flats and a dairy?
Peter

[pityackafromblyth]

Does anyone recall Nurse Wilkinson, who lived at Newsham, and worked at the Blyth Hospital- Thomas Knight Memorial.  I believe that she used to cycle down to the hospital for work each day.  I was in the men's ward in the 1950s.  I think it had about 12 beds.  Two of those were occupied by a Polish and a Dutch trawler hands, who had sustained fairly serious injuries.  Nurse Wilkinson was telling the local Blyth patients about one of the "ladies of the night" and the staithes(!) who was entertaining the sailors, one by one, in one of the cabins on the Cambois side of the river, just upriver from the Seven Stars pub. There was a queue of men outside the cabin, when a P.C. in uniform came up, marched to the front of the queue, opened the door to the cabin, and walked inside.  Said the officer of the law," I want to see you."  To which she replied, " Well you had better get to the back of the queue, instead of jumping your turn ?"  I remember all the Blyth men bursting out laughing,at which Nurse Wilkinson looked across at me, about 14 yrs of age,- so I feigned sleep.  I did not dare laugh as it might have opened my stitches.  

[pityackafromblyth]

Nothing new about Blyth to post here ?  Looks like all our memories have gone to sleep.  I have just put this in to get it back on display in the Lighter Side.  It might just catch someone's eye, and start the ball rolling again.

[Phodgetts]

Well, we have had lots of chat about people and places within Blyth, but what about the sounds. One of the loudest sounds must have been the power station letting off steam. The roar of it could be heard a long way off. We could here it loud and clear from the fields at Taylor Street. We used to watch the  steam exploding skyward. I could never work out if there was a crisi at the station or if it was just a thing they did from time to time to test the safety valve or some such.

Sadly I am too young to remember the whistles of steam engines at Bates shunting the coal wagons, I also missed out on the High Ferry whislte. It seems that when a ship was approaching the ferry had to drop its cables, so a whistle was sounded.

Anyone remember those things?

Philip

[Phodgetts]

Oh, and have any of you looked Blyth up on Youtube? There are a number of videos on there at the moment. A 2 part film about the power station and a couple (poor quality but worth watching) about the railway and ferry and one Farewell to Steam.........

Philip

[Michael Dixon]

 Philip,

 Perhaps you can remember the Fooooggg Horrrrnn groaning away ?

Michael

[emmadog]

I can remember the foghorn but when I returned to Blyth a few years ago to stay with my uncle I found they now have a new foghorn!!!! AN ELECTRONIC SOUNDING THING.  It kept me awake all night.  What a noise.

The sound I remember most was the sound of the hooter at the shipyard at lunchtime and finishing time.  I lived in Salisbury Street at the end nearest the shipyard so we used to hear all the sounds of shipbuilding (welding, riveting etc.)  Oh for yesteryear.

Barbara

[aspin]

funny We've just been through Blyth today on our way back from Shirmoor and I said to my husband one of these days I will remember my camera and go into Newsham and take a photo of 11 Station Cottages where my Dad once lived

Elizabeth

[HenryWood]

I also missed out on the High Ferry whislte. It seems that when a ship was approaching the ferry had to drop its cables, so a whistle was sounded.

Anyone remember those things?

Philip

Aye, ships wanting to cross the High Ferry cables had to blow 1 long and 2 short blasts on their siren and when it was all clear the ferry blew back the same signal. There was a huge notice high up on the Cambois side (might have actually been on the North Staithes) saying something like "All vessels wishing to pass the High Ferry must sound the following here." The sign was then illustrated with a long and 2 short dashes like morse code.