Bedlingtonshire

Bedlingtonshire Synopsis

This collection of over 200 photographs covers every village in Bedlingtonshire from Netherton in the west, to Cambois in the east, Hartford Bridge in the south and Sheepwash in the north.

Until 1844 Bedlingtonshire was part of the County Palatine of Durham and paid its dues to the Bishop. For many centuries it was a rural area; then the ironworks came in the mid-eighteenth century, followed a hundred years later by coalmining. These formed the industrial base of the community and changed the face of the area.

The mines and ironworks have now gone but Bedlington's industrial history is remembered in many of the photographs in this volume. As well as images of working life, we see people at leisure, at school, in church and in sport.

The author hopes that this collection will provide the reader with a breath of nostalgia from Bedlingtonshire's rich heritage. The illustrations in the book cross the years from the turn of the century until recent times. They cover every facet of human experience and emotion, from tragedy through romance to comedy.