You are here:
Low Espley
Low Espley maps
Historic maps of Low Espley and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Low Espley maps
Low Espley photos
We have no photos of Low Espley, although we do have photos of these nearby places:
Morpeth| Mitford| Bothal| Felton| Ellington| Ashington| Bedlington
Low Espley area books
Displaying 1 of 3 books about Low Espley and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Low Espley
No memories of Low Espley have been shared yet - be the first!
Add your memory of Low Espley
or of a photo of Low Espley.
Northumberland memories
Pat Johnson
My memories of Pigdon are of the woods, family and fun. My parents, my brother and myself camped there with aunties, uncles and cousins. We always took great care to clear up after ourselves. We had the best times playing there. Unfortunately my parents are no longer alive, cousins have moved to other areas and one uncle has passed on too. My childhood weekends were mostly spent in the woods at Pigdon and the memories are so precious. The wonderful river that runs through the woods, it's funny, I know that it is icy cold but back then I didn't notice. The beautiful bluebells in spring were spectacular. I believe this is where I developed my love of this flower. Even as a child I was able to appreciate the carpet of deep blue. I would dearly love to visit Pigdon woods again and bring my grandchildren, show them the places where I played as a child, even better to make some memories with them. Not of camping of course,... Read more
Schoolmaster
James Oswald Clazey was a young man with a growing family. He was a schoolmaster in Mitford. He had been born in the United States but his father, George Oswald Clazey was born in Berwick-Upon-Tweed and he immigrated in 1841 for the United States. James and his wife Charlotte had two of their children in Mitford. His mother-in-law, Margaret Gray also lived with them at the time.
Swimming Above Stepping Stones & Weir at Bothal
Our Mam being an Ashington lassie, we returned to her birthplace when Mam divorced my father who she met before the Second World War - that was when Mam was in London and working in 'service'. We were dragged from pillar to post from Watford to south Wales (father's birthplace) and eventually on divorce nisi Mam got custody of us 3 kids.
We arrived in Ashington in 1948 and for a time we stayed with my grandma Shields at 99 Poplar Street, near to the Hirst North School. The lower floor flat had one bedroom only and me and two younger sibling sisters would sleep top to tail - this lasted a while until our Mam could get us farmed out to relatives (my mum's sisters initially). Now my memories of Bothal were when my Mam would take us there, either by United bus (if she had the bus fare!) or we walked the 3 or 4 miles to the village of Bothal. Mam would make a picnic... Read more
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 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.
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
Post Office And Local People
My husband was stationed at RAF Acklington. I used to collect my marriage allowance at the post office. I recall a VERY cold day waiting for a bus. I had just returned from the heat of the Far East and was unaware how near the North Sea we were. My small child and I stood waiting for a bus back home, From one of the cottages came a jolly woman who said "Wye eye pet you and tha bairn'll freeze to dearth. Thas na bus na fora good hour. Come in and have warm drink while I watch out fa the bus for us". We had hot buttered toast and a welcome cup of tea, and my son had hot Ribena. I have never forgotten that hospitality. That little bairn now works for the TV and travels extensively. His favourite place is NORTHUMBERLAND. Red Row has a special place in my heart and I'm an old woman now, with lots of lovely memories. I hope someome could let me have... Read more
