My original birth certificate has a one inch smear of lipstick on it and it has a 40s look about it. A big question for me is: how did it get to be on there? I appreciate that this issue cannot be remotely interesting to you but please stay with me. I need your support.
Was the certificate on a 1940s dressing table in Unthank Terrace Sleetburn and then became a victim of a rolling and uncaring lipstick? No. Angles are all wrong for that.
Perhaps the certificate fell from a table onto the floor and I, in nappies, mistook the lipstick for a red ink pen? No. I might have been capable of burning down a child's toy house a few years later but wilful lipstick smearing was not on my agenda. I didn't have an agenda then.
I think the most likely solution is that the certificate was in my mother's handbag together with the lipstick and they mingled unashamedly.
What do you think? Am I right or am I right.
WB
Wednesday 31 August 2011
Monday 29 August 2011
A Two Way Climb
Did any retired Sleetburn miners, without transport and suffering from advanced emphysema, ever walk to the Flass to have a pint with friends and then walk all the way home? Educated money says maybe not.
For that matter how many obese Sleetburn women [without transport] patronized Broughs for weekly shopping when accompanied by their baby triplets in a specially designed pram? Educated money likes a punt and might have dabbled with that set of circumstances.
Although emphysema was prevalent in mining villages female obesity was not. Women had too much to do in too short a time whether they had triplets or not. Pit wives did a host of things including scrubbing, dusting, shopping and baking; on top of that they were often prisoners of the pit shift system, which meant staying awake to provide for husband and sons on differently timed shifts. Much energy was used up which probably helped to keep weight down.
So plenty of lung infections for the older men but little fat on most women. That is how I remember it.
WB
For that matter how many obese Sleetburn women [without transport] patronized Broughs for weekly shopping when accompanied by their baby triplets in a specially designed pram? Educated money likes a punt and might have dabbled with that set of circumstances.
Although emphysema was prevalent in mining villages female obesity was not. Women had too much to do in too short a time whether they had triplets or not. Pit wives did a host of things including scrubbing, dusting, shopping and baking; on top of that they were often prisoners of the pit shift system, which meant staying awake to provide for husband and sons on differently timed shifts. Much energy was used up which probably helped to keep weight down.
So plenty of lung infections for the older men but little fat on most women. That is how I remember it.
WB
Saturday 27 August 2011
Having to go to ushaw moor in 60′s « newbrancepethmemories
Went to Broughs grocery store at bottom of station road. Would walk there from Jubilee St. Through the field came out at road to go down bank to the beck. alright going it was the coming back when we had bags to carry. Sometimes we came up the clay bank, don’t think when we were carrying bags.
From New Brancepeth Memories BLOG click below for MORE
MORE via Having to go to ushaw moor in 60′s « newbrancepethmemories.
Thursday 25 August 2011
Salvation Army 1960
This photograph was taken from my grandmothers house in Whitehouse court in the late 1960′s. It shows the Salvation Army band playing next to the green which is a memory I will always have of that time. Another sign of the times was kids palying in the street and hardly a car in sight.
thanks Michael Dickinson
From Original Ushaw Moor Memories BLOG
Sunday 14 August 2011
Railway Mania?
If you are in to railway pictures of yesterday why not navigate around David Hey's collection? Roy Lambeth is also well featured. There are a few photos to be found that relate to Ushaw Moor.
www.davidheyscollectionextra.com will get you to it.
WB
www.davidheyscollectionextra.com will get you to it.
WB
Saturday 13 August 2011
Council Houses
This brief post is prompted by a Brian M comment and recent developments regarding the subject of evictions from social housing owing to riot activity. I agree with Brian that stigma should never be attached to social housing tenants just because they are in such housing; after all, council houses cum social housing resulted from a need for such dwellings and many [but of course not all] tenants of such properties were and are hard working upstanding people; such a mix reflects society as a whole.
We have been celebrating our memories of Victoria Court and Whitehouse Court and rightly so. In those days such property was council housing and full of hardworking, loyal and decent families.
Local authorities that evict whole family members because of criminal behaviour by one member of that family are idiotic, vindictive and short sighted. What about the situation where a six foot seventeen year old refuses to obey his mother? That [single] mother may be unable to assert herself and might be unaware of where to find help to resolve such conflict.
Some people really are victims of 'non riot' exploitation; many private landlords rip off their tenants; many MPs were found guilty of stealing; Banks are not always 'friendly' and it will take more than clever 'reassuring' advertising to change that perception.
Yes adopt a new and very tough approach to professional gangs that use violence but refrain from kicking the financially poor and the powerless. The elite do get it. They get too much. And that is not the politics of envy.
WB
We have been celebrating our memories of Victoria Court and Whitehouse Court and rightly so. In those days such property was council housing and full of hardworking, loyal and decent families.
Local authorities that evict whole family members because of criminal behaviour by one member of that family are idiotic, vindictive and short sighted. What about the situation where a six foot seventeen year old refuses to obey his mother? That [single] mother may be unable to assert herself and might be unaware of where to find help to resolve such conflict.
Some people really are victims of 'non riot' exploitation; many private landlords rip off their tenants; many MPs were found guilty of stealing; Banks are not always 'friendly' and it will take more than clever 'reassuring' advertising to change that perception.
Yes adopt a new and very tough approach to professional gangs that use violence but refrain from kicking the financially poor and the powerless. The elite do get it. They get too much. And that is not the politics of envy.
WB
Friday 12 August 2011
Bearpark In 2001 via Willington Town Hall!
If you go into Google [world not just UK] and search - Willington Town Hall - up comes Willington Town Hall at about five items down the page.
Now click on it and scroll down a few pages. There you will see lots of census 2001 facts about the people of Bearpark. Good stuff. After all we occasionally do bits about other than the Moor and this is one more!
WB
Now click on it and scroll down a few pages. There you will see lots of census 2001 facts about the people of Bearpark. Good stuff. After all we occasionally do bits about other than the Moor and this is one more!
WB
Thursday 11 August 2011
From The Original Archives - An Alf Rothwell Production
Following on from the popularity of Brian's Victoria Court epic I have fished out Alf's Whitehouse Court post from Wednesday October 31st 2007.
### Re-edited with TXT version of list,, so now searchable within BLOG## Paul
### Re-edited with TXT version of list,, so now searchable within BLOG## Paul
Whitehosue Court 1947 -- by Alf Rothwell
No Adults Children
1 Mr & Mrs Harrison Billy and Betty
2 Mr & Mrs Ware Ernie
3 Mr & Mrs Bowery John, Jimmy, Doris & Ronnie
4 Mr & Mrs Payne Jack & Billy
5 Applebys
6 Emery or Harrison
7 Mr & Mrs O'Connor Jack & Kathleen
8 ? ?
9 Mr & Mrs Hume
10 ? ?
11 Grandma Lillingworth
12 Mr & Mrs Dickinson Dennis, Tom & older brother
14 Mr & Mrs Comerford
15 Mr & Mrs Howard Peter
16 Mr & Mrs Wilson Alan
17 Winter John Kidd
18 ?
19 Mr & Mrs Stafford Kathleen & Joyce
20 Mr & Mrs P Rothwell Sarah & Alan
21 Mr & Mrs Oyston
22 Mr & Mrs Lumley Chris
23 Mr & Mrs Welsh
24 Mr & Mrs Gibb Tom & Barry
25 Mr & Mrs J Rothwell Alfie
26 Mrs Wren Arthur
27 Bevington ?
28 Mr & Mrs Thompson
29 Mr & Mrs Marriott Margaret & Billy
30 Mr & Mrs Myers
31 Mr & Mrs Rhodes
32 Mr & Mrs Robinson Albert & Dorothy
33 Mr & Mrs Flatley Barnie
34 Mr & Mrs Gargett (Later)
35 Mrs Mills
36 Blackett ?
37 Mr & Mrs Hudson
38 Mr & Mrs Coulhard Derek
39 Kirtley ?
40 Mr & Mrs Lumb Brian
41 Pinkney ?
42 ?
43 Pinkney ?
44 Mr & Mrs Clark Gloria & Frank
45 Mr & Mrs Nattrass Sylvia
46 Mr & Mrs Henderson Harry the postman
47 Mr & Mrs McQuillan Tom, John & Loretta
48 Later Jack & Sheila Pickard
49 ?
50 Hird ?
51 Gray ?
52
53 Gillon ?
54
55 Quigley ?
56 Mr & Mrs Strong
57 Mr & Mrs Hope
58 Mr & Mrs Greenwell Joan & Billy
59 Mrs & Mrs Clark
The 'click to make larger' [x2] works. WB
Whitehouse Court 1947 onwards
Wednesday 10 August 2011
Who Was That Fellow?
My mother was born Lilian Hope and married twice; firstly to Matt Bell and then to Don Albone. That said I understand that her very first love was a chap called Tyson Sinden and it is possible that she was engaged to him. Does that name mean anything to anyone?
WB
WB
A Self Defeating Wall Of Silence
The old village mining community helped its own in times of real trouble; heartfelt words of consolation were frequently accompanied by offers of constructive help. No one was short of sugared tea and victuals for very long, even if sometimes the giver had reservations about the receiver.
But very occasionally empathy and generosity disappeared; a breakdown might have occurred between neighbours, or even more sadly, between family members.
A life long rift between a mother and daughter, over some perceived slight, was and is tragic and it does happen from time to time. I can recall my grandmother observing and commenting about such breakdowns.
Some of these breakdowns in communication last for decades but [always supposing there is a relationship worth saving] such lifelong walls of silence are tragic and unnecessary. Bearing in mind that every human being, at least in the western world, is so lucky to have been born in the first place one feels like saying to those concerned:
'Get over it. Patch it up. Grow up. Start communicating. Start loving. Help each other. Let the healing begin'.
WB
But very occasionally empathy and generosity disappeared; a breakdown might have occurred between neighbours, or even more sadly, between family members.
A life long rift between a mother and daughter, over some perceived slight, was and is tragic and it does happen from time to time. I can recall my grandmother observing and commenting about such breakdowns.
Some of these breakdowns in communication last for decades but [always supposing there is a relationship worth saving] such lifelong walls of silence are tragic and unnecessary. Bearing in mind that every human being, at least in the western world, is so lucky to have been born in the first place one feels like saying to those concerned:
'Get over it. Patch it up. Grow up. Start communicating. Start loving. Help each other. Let the healing begin'.
WB
Ushaw College Swimming Bath
Photo of Swimming Baths Ushaw College.
Anyone remember this ? Was it available for anyone to use or just the Students of the College ?
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