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Local HistoryClick on a topic below to read more:
Historical SnippetsViking age grave from Cambois Sir Daniel Gooch, 1816 – 1889, Baronet & MP It has been described as a dog with the heart of a lion and the appearance of a lamb. The Penny Black, the first postage stamp in the world Whinham’s Industry Cambois Lifeboat Station East Bedlington’s Industrial HeritageCoal mining has played a hugely significant role in the development of south east Northumberland. The nearby town of Ashington is still known as “the biggest pit village in the world” and many of our own parishioners in East Bedlington have either been miners or are related to miners. There were 3 important pits within the parish boundaries, namely Cambois, Bedlington “A” and Bedlington “E” collieries. The first recorded attempt at coal mining in Cambois goes as far back as 1780 with the sinking of the Gatty and Waller pit. But this early venture proved unsuccessful and the pit closed in 1789. Far more successful was Cambois Colliery. Sinking of this pit began in 1862 (the year of Northumberland’s worst ever mining disaster when 204 men and boys were killed in the Hartley pit disaster) and the first coal mined in 1867. At its peak (1959/60) Cambois Colliery employed 1261 mineworkers. Sadly, by the time the pit closed in 1968, at least 110 miners had been killed here. Bedlington “A” and “E” pits were both sunk by the Bedlington Coal Company, the former in 1838 and the latter in 1859. Bedlington “A” was originally called Sleekburn “A” or “The Auld Pit”. At its peak this colliery produced 320,000 tons of coal a year and employed 980 men. It closed in 1971. Bedlington “E” (“The Winnin”) was sunk in the village of West Sleekburn. When the pit was nationalised in 1947, 967 miners worked here. It closed in 1962. As coal mining declined we were fortunate that Welwyn Electrical Laboratories Ltd decided to move to the North East. The firm began life in Welwyn Garden City in 1937 and moved to a purpose built factory in Bedlington Station in 1949. Welwyn Components Ltd (as they are called today) was to become a world leader in the design and manufacture of resistors and microelectronic assemblies. The workforce numbered 2,600 in 1969. Another major employer in the parish was Hughes Bolckow & Co Ltd (1912-82) of Battleship Wharf, Cambois. The company broke up ships of all types and sizes including battleships, submarines, passenger liners, oil tankers, cargo ships, trawlers, tugs, and so on. They also tackled locomotives, other railway stock and even bridges. An interesting sideline was the manufacture of furniture using hardwood purchased from other shipbreakers. This included a range of garden furniture called “Mauretania” using teak from this famous ship. For further information on our mining heritage visit www.dmm.org.uk. Alternatively, Cambois Colliery is featured in “The Collieries of N’land Vol 2” by James T Tuck (ISBN 1-871518-12-1) and Bedlington “A” Colliery is covered in “The Collieries of N’land Vol 1” by James T Tuck, 1993 (ISBN 1-871518-08-3). National Union of Ironworkers BannersThe Bedlington Iron & Engine Works"We live by fire and water and iron and God’s favour" The Bedlington Iron & Engine Works 1736 – 1867, Furnace Bank, Bedlington Station The Bedlington Iron & Engine Works played a hugely significant part in the Industrial Revolution not only in North East England but on a world wide scale. Amongst its achievements, the Ironworks produced boiler plates, axles and wheels for George Stephenson's first locomotive, and then went on to produce about 150 locomotives for both national lines and for export around the world. However the principal success, which put Bedlington on the world map, was the development and production of cheap malleable iron rails which were used on pioneering long distance railways, such as the Stockton and Darlington Railway (opened in 1825) and Russia’s first railway (1837). So good was this new type of rail that William James, a prominent railway engineer, was to say “Light has at length shone from the North and I pronounce it as my candid opinion that the malleable iron railroad at Bedlington Works is by far the best I have ever seen”. All this is hard to imagine when you visit the Ironworks site today at Furnace Bridge. Little is left above ground, the most prominent features being the bridge itself, quayside walls on both banks of the River Blyth and an 18th C lime kiln. However, archaeological excavations in 1999 showed that much still remains buried beneath the grass of what is today a Country Park. From humble beginnings in 1736 the Bedlington Iron & Engine Works were to dominate both sides of the River Blyth, and you have to imagine a sky blackened with smoke from furnaces, the deafening noise coming from forges and the sweat of hundreds of workers some of whom were just 9 years of age. The Works were at their most productive during the first half of the 19th Century under the guidance of men such as Michael Longridge (buried in St Cuthbert’s churchyard, Bedlington) and John Birkenshaw, principal agent at the works. To appreciate just how important these Works were bear in mind the following:
If you would like to find out more about the Bedlington Iron and Engine Works visit www.bedlingtonironworks.org. Alternatively local historian Evan Martin has written a booklet “Bedlington Iron & Engine Works 1736 – 1867”, Northern History booklet No. 52, 1974. ISBN 0 85983 036 5 which is available in local libraries. Listings in East Bedlington Parish
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