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Cresswell
Cresswell maps
Historic maps of Cresswell and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Cresswell maps
Cresswell area books
Displaying 1 of 3 books about Cresswell and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Cresswell
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Northumberland memories
The Old Primary School
My sister Roberta and I used to walk from Ellington Colliery to the school at Ellington Village. My Nanna would wrap our dinner money and savings money in a handkerchief and see us off from the top of the first row. In autumn there was a tetty field and a turnip field along the road and we would watch the women and kids picking vegetables and then they would carry them to the horse and cart. The farmer would sometimes let us ride the cart limmers to the top of the road. We would take a big turnip home at Halloween to scoop out for a lantern and put a small piece of candle inside. In winter we were given a miniature spirit bottle full of ginger wine to warm us up on the way to school, I still get a warm feeling just thinking about it.
Coronation
Linton community was the best ever. People rallied round to help each other, and doors were left unlocked. I have fond memories as a child of standing all decked out in red, white & blue in the Coronation year of 1953, standing on a decorated coal wagon! One year the snow blocked the village and transport to and from Ashington for a few days was the tanky. May Day was always something to look forward to, as was Easter, when we decorated paste eggs - usually with onion peel or cochineal.
I was born there in 1946 and my mum and dad (the Rutherfords) died there.
The Wallaw Cinema
We didn't go to the cinema all that often and when we did it was a real treat. Fish and chip supper in the cafe upstairs, then into the cinema with its newsreels, local advertisements on slides, supporting 'B' film, forthcoming attractions and finally - The Big Film. And then out again, usually late at night (for us children) and the walk back up Front Street to where we lived close to the station. We only once went to the Saturday morning show for kids and was rather shocked at the unruly behaviour of most of the audience. I recall that at one time Wilfred Pickles brought 'Have a Go' to Newbiggin and it was held at the cinema. We came to Newbiggin in 1947 and left in 1955. I can't remember if the cinema was closed by then but it looks like it on the photos.
Remembrance of Things Past
This picture was taken a little after I left the town for further down the coast. I believe that the large building was called the Marine Cafe. A real and rare treat was to go and have a Knickerbocker Glory in a tall glass seated on tall stools at tall tables! To the right, on the beach at the base of the wall, was an outlet for a large constantly running drain, mostly street runoff I think. My sister and I spent many happy hours playing there, making dams and pools, building rickety bridges and so on. Today's Health and Safety would have had a dozen fits but we survived. Meanwhile the whole beach waited just behind us and eventually we would go and dig sea coal, skip on the rocks at low tide, squeeze through the Needle's Eye. A splendid childhood in a lovely place.
There were several shops around the Square (Marine Parade?) and as they sold a lot of bright souvenirs and toys to day visitors... Read more
Recent Visit 2007
I visited Newbiggin for the first time in January of this year, in search of my ancestors, who I hoped to find in St. Bartholomew's church. It was a bright but extremely windy day when we arrived, but I was delighted to discover the gravestone of my Gt.Gt. grandfather and many of his family. The stone was propped up against the church and we could have missed it. My visit from Australia was greatly enhanced by the discovery of the Harbottle family headstone.
Recent First Visit
Newbiggin-by-the-Sea is of great interest for me, as many of my ancestors lived there. I was able to visit St. Bartholomew's Church and discover the gravestone of the Harbottle family, one of whom was my great great grandfather. It made rather sad reading as many died so very young.
My Grandparents Home
My grandparents Isabella and Jack Lymer and my Uncle Victor Lymer lived above the cafe until my nan's death in 1968. When I was young it was the flat to the left as you look at the picture. It is now the hairdressers. My mum tells me that when she married my dad (1943) they lived in the flat to the right of the picture over looking the bay. I have many happy memories of holidays visiting them and playing on the sands. It was the best ice cream ever! And the sun always seemed to be shining. It used to take one and half days to travel from Sussex to Newbiggin when I was a child but my brother, sister and I never minded the journey because we so looked forward to seeing nanny, granddad and uncle Victor and maybe the ice cream featured in there somewhere along with the wonderful fish and chips or scramptions you could buy from any one of the 3 fish and chip shops... Read more
