Malvin's Close, Cowpen

[eddie21455]

Good info Phil; so the football pitches are laid over a brick works. What was actually at the spot where Aldi now is I know there was council offices but was there an old house, my childhood memories tell me old house, trees, scary at night and it was Malvin's close; not right with name of house is my memory confused?
Jora, have you got the children in the 1901, 1911 census' could they give a clue to location?

Re Aldi   It was the Town tailors factory

[Michael Dixon]

 For all mentions of Aldi ( except last one) read Lidl !

 Michael

[Michael Dixon]

 Before Cowpen Estate was built (c1951 onwards) many Bebside Colliery village folk and others used to
 walk to Blyth by various footpaths/tracks. 

Part of one of these routes was marked on the 1898 map posted by Philip ( at message number 4 ). The path marked "FP" ran along what is now Dean View Drive, went through the little clump of houses at Malvins Close, and then followed unpaved track which today is Albion Way, then though Cowpen Colliery yard and down Waterloo Rd into Blyth

In early 1950s in preparation for the building of Cowpen Estate,there was big operation of landfill going on generally where sports fields are now.  I remember the wind blowing away much of the rubbish dumped by the refuse lorries.

The folk living in Malvins Close must have hated the pedestrian traffic passing by their front windows and must have been relieved when the making of Albion Way diverted that traffic away.

Blyth Library has Electoral Registers from 1929/30 ( A mystery where earlier ones are ! )
In 1929/30 Malvins Close consts of numbers 2, 3, 4 and 5 and Harpenden House
( Emmerson family)
Number 4 disappears in 1930/31. In 1931/32 MC is numbers 3, 5 and 2, Harpenden Hose and Fallowfield House.
 
In 1936/37 the estate of Malvins Close, appears ( Kings, Queens, Dukes and Earls Gardens)
This was built in between Cowpen Civil cemetery and Malvins Close, in field on 1898 map marked with "U" and "D" ( for Urban District)
In 1952 the "original " MC consists of West View, Harpenden House. Fallowfield ( "House" dropped),
The Cottages and Malvins Close House.

Michael

[blythboy]

I grew up in Malvins Close and my Mum still lives there.

Re the Carter family in Malvins Close House, Mr. Carter was t town clerk and I believe he rented the place from the council. His son roughly my age (60) was called Chris.

The Cottage was at one time a working farm but in my time, the field opposite was often used for the pit ponies' annual holiday. This is to the North of the three smaller houses. My Dad told me that these houses were built to house local colliery management but I cannot confirm that.

Opposite Bolam Avenue on the North side of what is now Albion Way was another house as I recall, surrounded by trees and empty.

The picture in the link  in #2 does look like MCH, as opposite was what we called "The Orchard" used for apple scrumping and getting conkers.

[jora]

Many thanks to all who have replied to this topic.

The family I am interested in is the Dawson family. Since first posting I have got the death notice from the Courant of Robert Dawson in 1895 -

"Blyth, Melvin House, Cowpen Colliery, on the 28th ult in his 73rd year, Robert Dawson, engineer for Cowpen & North Seaton Coal Company for the last 38 years."

I also have the death certificate of his son, also Robert Dawson who died in 1921, Superintendent Engineer at Cowpen Colliery, at Office Buildings, Cowpen Colliery.

The 1911 census gives the order of enumeration of the houses in the area as Albion Brick Yard Cottage, followed by 2 Office Row (4 rooms), Office Row (2 houses of 7 rooms each occupied Robert Dawson and his son-in-law, both engineers), then Foster Memorial Homes for retired miners.

I am attaching the sketch of Cowpen Office Buildings taken from the Northumberland County History. I was wondering if the part of the building at the extreme left is the house in my photograph. It is not clear from the original photo whether it is detached or not.

[blythboy]

The sketch looks a lot like MCH, in my time it had a brick wall around it, stabling to the rear and the farm to the left of your highlight. Note that in 1881 Robert Dawson (58), his wife Mary (56), their four kids, John, Margaret, Robert and Henry (12, 8, 5 baby) are living with Robert (his son 34) his wife Mary (33) four  kids, John, Margaret, Robert and Henry ((12,8,5, baby) along with the servants and Agricultural labourers George Stevenson (71) his son George (29), his wife Margaret (21) and 5 month old George. Add to this Edward Arkle (71) a labourer and Isabella his wife (62). The census then deals with Harpenden House, Fallowfield House etc.  Both Dawson are engineers from Easington

[blythboy]

I forgot, the sundial in the sketch, I think that was above the front door as this faced South.

[GeorgeWH]

I have been searching online for a photograph of Malvin's Close, but have come up with nothing except a sketch which appears in the Northumberland County History.

I am particularly interested in the time it was used as the offices of the Cowpen Coal Company.

Any help by the Blyth experts would be very welcome.

I have a detailed photo of these offices, much higher than the resolution size allowed for posting on here. The photo I have does match the (non detailed) sketch. The original building was constructed of stone, then later, a brick extension building was erected. The only existing evidence today, of Cowpen Colliery, are the 'management staff' houses along Cowpen Road, where the bottom of Albion Way ends at a round-a-bout. Notably, the two end house's which have decorative roof finials, and all houses built of typical colliery bricks.
Please get in touch...... George

[TriciaK]

As Dolly Dimples wrote on page one, Malvins Close House was a nursing home for some time, not so long ago.
My Mum was there, after a stroke, from 1997 to 2002, when she died at age 87 and always seemed to feel secure and happy.  I used to visit her 2-3 times a week, as we were living in the NE at the time, she was very well cared for there. Very good meals! The staff catered a good buffet for the family etc after her funeral.
The house was more like the drawing above, there was a beautiful garden in the front. I heard it used to belong to the pit manager.
I looked recently on Google maps and it does seem to have been demolished now. I heard that when stricter safety regs and standards were introduced it was no longer economically viable - a sad sign of the times.