Blyth, Church Street

[belfordian]

From modern photos Church St in Blyth looks very different from how I imagined it in mid-19th century. My mariner ancestors lived at 10 Church St. Can anyone tell me whether the building now listed as number 10 is the original building from the 1871 census?

[Jon_ni]

There is no current number 10 on modern maps (wait for map to load & zoom in) https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1154689 the entire area has seen extensive re-development
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=18.5&lat=55.12748&lon=-1.51082&layers=168&right=osm
modern streetview https://goo.gl/maps/Z4wzrM4vz3qnvBZu5 and https://goo.gl/maps/eiE2q3MHRMBGt9mM7 from other end, both looking towards Bowes Street.

Going further back it was very different again 1861 census before St Mary's was built https://maps.nls.uk/view/102346416#zoom=7&lat=4124&lon=6451&layers=BT

[Phodgetts]

This is a 1915 postcard view of part of Church Street, looking north from the junction of Bowes Street towards the railway station of 1896.

P

[belfordian]

Thank you for your comments maps and photo. I'm puzzled about the name of Church street. If St Mary's church was not built until 1864, how is it that Church Street has its name before then?

[AllanUK]

Thank you for your comments maps and photo. I'm puzzled about the name of Church street. If St Mary's church was not built until 1864, how is it that Church Street has its name before then?

May I ask why you think that Church Street was in existence before 1864? I have looked through the 1861 Census for Blyth and cannot find a Church Street.

[belfordian]

Church Street is listed from and including 1861 census. The Mallett family ( James and Ann were my great great grandparents) lived there. I notice there was a Methodist Chapel in that street. Were  streets ever named after non-conformist places of worship as well as after Anglican churches?

[AllanUK]

Church Street is listed from and including 1861 census. The Mallett family ( James and Ann were my great great grandparents) lived there. I notice there was a Methodist Chapel in that street. Were  streets ever named after non-conformist places of worship as well as after Anglican churches?

My apologies -- when I looked at the 1861 Census, I looked at reference RG 9/3849; Parish of Blyth; Town of Blyth -- I totally forgot to look at RG 9/3849; Parish of Earsdon; Town of Blyth!! (memo to self -- put brain in gear before typing!! 

I did notice from the map reference that was given by Jon_ni that there was a Methodist Chapel near to St Mary's -- it is possible that Church Street was named after the Chapel.

[blythian]

There is a Church Street on the 1856 OS Map next behind the Chapel Of Ease/St Cuthberts Church on Plessey Road. It's closer to the river and it's gone by the next map so it might have been demolished when they were building St Cuthberts in the 1880's or the Police Station in the 1890;s
(Just checked and the back boundary wall of the Police Station seems to run down the middle of what was Church Street)

https://communities.northumberland.gov.uk/004891FS.htm this map shows it pretty clearly (Its tiny on the OS map lol)

[Ruskie]

I suggest finding your ancestors on a couple of censuses, then looking at he neighbouring addresses and try to follow the enumerator’s route to see if any streets or other landmarks still exist today. Tracing the route on an old map can be helpful, in particular he NLS side by side view.