The Waterside In The 1950s

A Memory of Washington.

I lived at High Barmston Farm down the Waterside and had a fantastic childhood there before moving to Alnwick when I was 11. In the 1950s there were loads of houses down the Waterside and Coxgreen. Sadly not much remains of the Waterside I knew. I remember Blast Row, Wilden Terrace, Middlefield Row and many other houses in the area. A friend of mine lived in Staithes House which is still there. It is a lovely old house and I was lucky enough to be invited there last year by the present owners.
I remember Finlays shop in Wilden Terrace and going over the Iron bridge to Biddick School. You could go another way up the 'Tanks' as the road was called, probably beacause of the tanks at the Chemical Works.
My family the Potts farmed at Middle Barmston from around 1850 with my great-grandfather taking over High Barmston around 1888. How I wish I still lived at High Barmston, such an idylic place. Sadly it was pulled down after we left but I still have very strong memories of it.