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Washington
Washington maps
Historic maps of Washington and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Washington maps
Washington area books
Displaying 1 of 1 books about Washington and the local area. View all books for this area
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Memories of Washington
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memories of Washington.
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The Old Blacksmith's (The Smithy)
Born in 1943 and living in 'Washington Station' (now Columbia). I remember watching horses being shod here many times, when I was a child. I still remember the fierce heat from the furnace, with the Blacksmith and the horses wringing wet with sweat.
Brady's Square
I lived and went to Biddick Junior School, very close to here. I believed at the time, it was Brady Square (not Brady's) but learned later that it was named Brady's Square because the newsagent's shop there was originally 'Brady's'.
Margaret
Margaret lived at 20 West View in 1951 and came regularly to Gateshead. She had a friend who lived near Saltwell Park. When I was called up to do my National Service on 4/10/1951 we were pen friends but she stopped writing after a good while. I went down to Washington for the first time in many years in 1979 and walked up to the door where Margaret lived at 20 West View but I didn't knock. 20 years later I was in Washington again but West View had been demolished. If anyone knows about Margaret's whereabouts I would love to know how she is getting along these days. I have sadly forgotten her surname.
Les May. e-mail: lsmy59@aol.com
Washington Chemical Works
I was born at 55 Pattinson Town about 20 yards from the chemical works which manufactured products from asbestos. Most of my mother's side of the family worked at the factory and have since died of asbestos related diseases. I am surprised that no mention or photographs exist of this factory. I used to pass through the village green going to Washington Glebe secondary school. The school had terrible subsidence problems with a mine shaft going directly underneath causing the wood block floors to buckle. My father was demobbed from the Royal Navy after serving in submarines during WW2 and he then got a job as a deputy in Washington "F" pit. When I was 14 he took me down the pit and the first thing I noticed was the wind blowing a gale, then the floor was covered in white powder (fire damp). When we reached the coal face which was under the North Sea there was hardly enough room to stand up. That is when I decided that... Read more
Sproul Family
My father, Joseph MacNab Sproul, his brothers, sisters and parents always lived and were born in Washington, they are all gone now and I am trying to find some information on them. My grandparents were Samuel and Ellan, I was told by my cousin that there is a Sproul on the North East War Memorial right side bottom, left list. I have been trying to find photos and addresses but I'm not getting anywhere, if you know where I can look I would love it. My father came to Canada in 1957, my brother and one sister and I were born in the UK, my other sister is a Canuck, ha ha. Thanks to any and everyone in advance, John Sproul
The Past
I was born at Usworth colliery and lived at Old Row. I went to Usworth Colliery School and when I left there I went to work at Usworth pit.
Life as A Kid
I used to go to Usworth Park to play football or go bird nesting down the planton at Waterloo. I also used to go round collecting bottles to take back to shop and get the money for the pictures. We had 3 picture houses in Washington, the Kings, the Queens and the Regal. I went to Saturday matinees and saw Flash Gordon and Hopalong Cassidy.
Gilbert Scott, my Father, And me 1915 to 1998
My dad was born 1915 and I was born 1947. At the age of seven he went blind so he went to Queen Victoria Blind School in Newcastle till he was 15 years old. When he came out he learned to play the accordion, he went round the clubs in the North East and played to people in the pubs and clubs. When he was 6 he went blackberry picking on the Glebe pit railway line with my aunt, there was a train coming and my aunt called out to him to tell him but he did not hear her, his hand was over the line getting blackberries and the train ran over his left hand, taking it off at the wrist. He played in the clubs till he took ill in 1996. We lived in Grassmere Terrace in my grandfather's house, Thomas William Scott. He died in 1964 so we lived there till I got married in 1968. We used to go down to Patterson Town and deliver papers.... Read more
