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Ellington
Ellington maps
Historic maps of Ellington and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Ellington maps
Ellington area books
Displaying 1 of 3 books about Ellington and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Ellington
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Ellington.
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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.
Northumberland memories
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.
Ashington 1950s - 1980s.
My mother's family lived in the Milburn Road area of Ashington from the 1920s. My mother met my father, a Londoner serving in the Army stationed at Acklington or thereabouts at the end of WW2. They married in Morpeth and subequently moved to London in 1948 where I was born. I have many wonderful memories of annual holidays in Ashington from the 1950s to 1980s when the last of the immediate family died. I recall the Wallaw Cinema next to Ashington Bus Station, and there was also a cinema at the end of Milburn Road opposite the White Elephant Public House, near to St. John's Church in Newbiggin Road. I also remember the store Walter Wilsons, and a butcher's shop at the White Elephant end of Milburn Road which sold the most amazing sausages! I only ever knew it as "Ted the Butcher's". I also recall Ashington Colliery where my uncle worked as a miner, Newbiggin beach when it actually had a beach, and other places and... Read more
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.
