Whitley Bay memories
Here are memories of Whitley Bay and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Whitley Bay or a Whitley Bay photo.
Fond Memories of Whitley Bay
Fond memories of Whitley Bay: Taking the 17 bus from South Wellfield to the bus station, Whitley Bay, with John Taylor. Dressed in our best (and only) Mod gear we would go to the Spanish City to seek out lasses and avoid attention of any Rockers! With only a tanner each in our pockets we could get two rides on the dodgems and walk home. On summer weekends the place was always packed, I remember mooching arround Sad Sacks slot machines or sugarcones at the Venitian, collecting bottles from the beach, The GO GO CLUB to see The JUNCO PARTNERS. Watching NEWCASTLE train on the snow covered beach. And the summer holiday I once got a job on the shuggy boats on the beach opposite the Spanna! I got the sack for letting little kids go on free! Football on the beach with mates Jimmy Buckham, Alan Love, Jimmy Green, John Taylor. Jimmy Buckham and I nearly got into trouble once on St Mary's Island as... Read more
Busy Holidays at The Coast
On the lead up to the Edinburgh & Glasgow holidays, my friends and I used to prepare by building our own 'bogeys' out of some pram wheels, then on the Saturday`we would arrive at the train station and wait for the train to come from Newcastle with the Scots, we would ask the passengers as they came out of the station where they were going to stay and offer to take them and their luggage 'on the bogey' to the bed & breakfast address for a fee, sometimes we were paid half a crown (2/6d), this went on all of the holidays and we did make some money. Another money making idea was, at the end of each nice day that people spent on the beach and on the links, we would go around and collect all the empty pop bottles that were left and take them back to the shop for the deposit. Another way to amuse ourselves was to take newspapers to the Fish & Chips shop and... Read more
Aunty Bell's
My dad was a geordie and every year when I was a kid we would always visit his hometown, Jarrow, N Newcastle. I loved the northeast with all the different beaches and everything about it, as I got older I loved the northeast more, and more even though my father had passed. I loved the fact I had family here, I just wished my father was around to see it. He would have loved to see my kids up there enjoying the sea and would have taken them to visit everyone who was a relative. Some of my relatives told me that they hadn't seen the sea for years, but it was on their doorstep, I found that puzzling for I loved it and always have. I said that if I lived there I would come every day to see it, but it's different when you're older and living here. Funny that it was a place that was so important to me, and still is, I but have never taken my... Read more
Spanish City And That Very Old Car On The Links
This is an iconic picture for me in two ways. First it shows the Spanish City somewhere near its heyday (spring/summer of 1955), bringing back memories of the great band of Harry Atkinson (the Ted Heath of the Bay), who played there. I went to Longbenton C of E primary school with his son, Joss. But kindly lower your gaze to the lone car. It is a Vauxhall 14 and it is parked outside 7 The Links, my old home. Despite being 16 years old it was the coveted company car of my dad, Eric, works manager for a firm that made concrete lamp standards at the old Cramlington Airship Shed. Despite its age and wartime experiences, the Vauxhall was a good runner, regularly taking my dad, and sometimes myself, to the company's HQ in Hertfordshire. The journeys were epic 12-hour spectaculars, such was the state of the A1. The car would be full of blankets, picnic boxes and torches for use in the event of breakdowns or snarl-ups. The only... Read more
My Family at The Seaside
The people sitting on the seat in the foreground of this photo are actually my grandparents and aunt, visiting - as they regularly did - from their home in Annfield Plain, Co Durham. This photo was taken a couple of years before I was born and also before my parents were married. Sadly they are no longer alive, but little did they know they had been snapped for posterity!
Whitley Bay my Family
I was born in Newcastle and all my family. My grandparents lived at Percy Terrace and I would go every school holiday to stay with them. I loved walking along the sea front with my gran - she would walk us to Colour Coats and Tynemouth in the evening and on the way back she would buy me and my sister and brother a bag of chips and a hot chocolate. We would stay on the beach all day - it was wonderfull. My grandparents were called Selby, they had a guest house. I still have family in the North East and they are dotted around Blyth, Newcastle, Shiremore and Annfield Plan. My dad came from New Kyo in Stanley, they were called Mills. Both grandads were miners in the pits. I remember going to visit them with very fond memories.
Colman Cafe
My mother lived on the Esplanade in the 1940s just about opposite Colman Cafe. She taught in a local school. My father was a policeman in the town, and met my mother there. He related interesting stories of the bombing of the town during the Second World War, such as being knocked off his feet by a nearby blast when on air raid duty. He also told me of climbing on to roofs with a device that looked like a squeezy mop but which had an asbestos "claw" to remove incendiary bombs. On another ocasion he was sent to guard a radio station - for this he was issued with a revolver and 2 rounds of amunition!
The Venetian Cafe And Spanish City.
I remember as a child going to Whitley Bay with my grandparents. We used to go in the Spanish City, and I used to go on some of the rides - the Ghost Train, the Waltzer, and the Bumper Cars. Then we used to go across the road to the Venetian Cafe,and have a Venetian ice-cream, they were the best ice-creams ever. The Venetian Cafe is no longer there, or the Spanish City. Whitley Bay used to get very busy, especially when it was Scottish week, I believe that was in August, if I remember rightly. I also used to like going to Whitley Bay ice-rink as I got a little older, the ice-rink is still there now I believe. They were the good old days.
Brenda.
Whitley Bay - Colman Cafe / Boarding House on The Esplanade
Does anyone remember a cafe / boarding house on the Esplanade, called Colman or Colman's? It was run by some relatives of mine and I am trying to trace the family tree; I do not know their particular names but have a list of possible names, and photos. The name 'Colman' itself came from a street where the family lived in the Midlands, before moving up to Whitley Bay, so it is not their surname).
I believe Colman's was running in at least the 1930s through to the late 1950s, if not earlier / later than these dates. If anyone has any information on the cafe/boarding house at the time, or the family, please do write a reply on here!
Memories of Tyne and Wear
My Grandfather
My grandfather and his parents and siblings were all born and lived in or near Cullercoats. Their surname was Storey and my grandfather George emigrated to Australia with his wife and children in 1949. I have always wanted to visit the birthplace of George and try to find more about him. His dad John was a fisherman and he died in 1974 in North Shields. The main thing I remember about George was his strong accent. He was a quiet man who liked his solitude and unfortunately died of lung disease when I was 19, 30 years ago. I'm glad to hear Cullercoats hasn't changed much and my aim is to visit as soon as possible.
Living in Old Cullercoates
My grandparents lived in Simpson Street and auntie in Elizabeth Street. I am wondering if anyone remembers Garden Terrace, and the old school in John Street where my grandma worked? My grandfather was killed aboard the 'Lunula' in 1941 and his name was Edward Occulstone. He is listed at that time as living in Margarets Road and his name is on the cenotaph at Whitley Bay. I remember my uncle's cottage which was knocked down, it only had a tin bath but he loved it very much. His name was Billy Bewick, my nana's name was Lillian. My mam and auntie had a bric-a-brac shop in Huddlestons Street and as a child we loved to go to the chip shop, John Whitley's, in the same street. I used to go to the Christmas parties in the church hall that adjoined the old John Street school, they were great.
Cullercoats as I Remember It.
My father was born and lived in Huddleston St, Cullercoats. My memories are of visiting my grandmother who lived in the upstairs flat of Huddleston St next to Barons the Fruiter and Wedderburns the Bakers. On the other side was McCallums, the general dealers (sold everything). The fish and chip shop was called John Whitleys and whenever I visited I always got an extra something on the order. Cullercoats was thriving as a fishing village and place to visit, with the amusements and Maynards Sweets on the corner opposite the Rocket Garage. I went to Cullercoats Infants on Mast Lane and the Juniors on John Street. Alas, it has all changed but I have fond memories to keep. Peter Burns lived next to my grandmother as did the Blackmans. Grandmother was Frances Stoneman (formerly Storey). If you ever remembered the old lady all in black, down the bank next to the Dove Marine, with a wooden four wheeled barrow selling winkles in cone shaped packets with a... Read more
1949 - 1961
I lived at Station Road in Murton and remember playing with my best friend, Doreen, down the bakery and in Windes Lodden. Does anyone remember my dad, Walter Simpson Smith, who was born at Cold Hesleden? I also went to Murton Girls Secondary School which is no longer there.
I Was Born There
Does anyone know or have any photos of Foster Avenue in Murton? I think it had a nick-name of 'Wembley estate'. I was born there, my nana and granda lived in the village, Bob and Nella Young. I used to go to stay with them in the summer holidays.
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