Old blyth pier

[ChrisH]

g.ordon; what you are seeing on Alan's plan and thinking is the pier "chucking a right" is actually text which says "Lighthouse". Look at the end of Cambois pier on the same plan; the same text appears there.

[g.ordon]

g.ordon; what you are seeing on Alan's plan and thinking is the pier "chucking a right" is actually text which says "Lighthouse". Look at the end of Cambois pier on the same plan; the same text appears there.

Ok mate, need new glasses, as I said earlier must have been a childhood illusion stamped in the mind.

[Billzo]

i've fish blyth pier from a kid 30+ yrs back, dont know about b-ing cut in half but remember the gate at the bend & the end. after the gate there was a big section of the pier took out 2 stop people getting across 2 the crane that was there hammering the big steel supports in, the thing is we still got over because of the thick elec cable running the little lighthouse on the end.
also used 2 b a old pier inbetween the north & south pier, the hollow stone pier we used 2 call the (fishermans graveyard) as kids because if u climbed inside & walked along under the coast guards building there were square stones inbedded in concrete & just looks like a grave yard.
anyway this pier was the start of the old pier i was told with the rocks running out 2 the can with the lights on it known as the (peeping toms rocks)
any 1 else know of this other little pier?

[Charlton]

all I can remember is the small stone Jetty as it is now, fished there with my grandfather and uncles when I was just a young un, Arthur (canman) might know a bit more he was born and lived nearby, mind he couldn't remember the old shrimp huts, used to be a cafe at one time.

[Lowrider]

I think there is a picture on the back of the tide tables booklet sold by Sports and Leisure in Blyth that show a lighthouse at the end of Blyth pier.
Not sure if the light has gone or the pier part

[Billzo]

I think there is a picture on the back of the tide tables booklet sold by Sports and Leisure in Blyth that show a lighthouse at the end of Blyth pier.
Not sure if the light has gone or the pier part

it was john that told me that the toms rocks was a stone pier paul m8.

[Billzo]

take a look i just found a few pics-
Lighthouse: Blyth Harbour Lighthouse

[ChrisH]

Billzo; have a look at the article Alan Charlton has attached in his post. Scroll down a bit and you'll see a photo of a steam ship entering Blyth harbour between the piers. There is a clear view of the Stone Jetty, it's exactly as it is today. That photo must be from the early part of last century; so if there was a "Middle" pier; it couldn't have stood for very long before it was taken down again.
You are correct that the "Peeping Tom Rocks" extend from the stone jetty straight out to the red light on the post. I'm not sure but I suspect that the rocks are the remains of an early stone breakwater from before the wooden pier was built.
I know for a fact that there was a breakwater on the other side of the river which was eventually replaced by Cambois Pier; so it makes sense that there was also a breakwater on the south side.

[Billzo]

Billzo; have a look at the article Alan Charlton has attached in his post. Scroll down a bit and you'll see a photo of a steam ship entering Blyth harbour between the piers. There is a clear view of the Stone Jetty, it's exactly as it is today. That photo must be from the early part of last century; so if there was a "Middle" pier; it couldn't have stood for very long before it was taken down again.
You are correct that the "Peeping Tom Rocks" extend from the stone jetty straight out to the red light on the post. I'm not sure but I suspect that the rocks are the remains of an early stone breakwater from before the wooden pier was built.
I know for a fact that there was a breakwater on the other side of the river which was eventually replaced by Cambois Pier; so it makes sense that there was also a breakwater on the south side.

yes m8 i seen the article alan put up, u could well b rite about a breakwater m8.

[canman]

i've fish blyth pier from a kid 30+ yrs back, dont know about b-ing cut in half but remember the gate at the bend & the end. after the gate there was a big section of the pier took out 2 stop people getting across 2 the crane that was there hammering the big steel supports in, the thing is we still got over because of the thick elec cable running the little lighthouse on the end.
also used 2 b a old pier inbetween the north & south pier, the hollow stone pier we used 2 call the (fishermans graveyard) as kids because if u climbed inside & walked along under the coast guards building there were square stones inbedded in concrete & just looks like a grave yard.
anyway this pier was the start of the old pier i was told with the rocks running out 2 the can with the lights on it known as the (peeping toms rocks)
any 1 else know of this other little pier?

The pier you're talking about was always called the stone pier, and in my lifetime has always been the same size. I fished off there since i was 10, thats from 1957, and like you, used to climb down and play under the pier. The first 2-3 bays were always full of sand, thats at the east end. the west end had a round wooden jetty where we used to fish underneath to catch the monster eels that lived in the rocks, sticking there heads out to take our herring bait bought from Harpers fish shop for toupence. This was my backyard, growing up, fully explored.
The west pier (thats the one we all fish off now) has been hit by ships twice that I can remember. When I was at school,a classmate drowned playing under the pier, around 1960, his first name was Paul, can't remember his last.
Caught my first cod hear at that age, a 5lber. I could go on and on, but I won't.

[batt22]

Great memories it was my playground too spent many a great day up on the staiths, i feel quite sad looking at the old photos was a great time growing up around Blyth if only you could turn back the clock eh ! i can still picture the old hand-line, bait from harpers fish shop catching poddlers by the score some of the older guys trying to cast over to cambois from the dun cow pub
and the sand dunes were massive i could go on and on

[batt22]

"catching poddlers by the score " sounds like a good song title

[ChrisH]

Does anyone else remember the big fishing boat that was up on wooden blocks, outside the Chandlers shop on the old road into the docks? It was there for years; I think there was a painting of that scene up on a gable end wall next to Wilkinson's; don't know if it's still up there.
There used to be a public toilet on the right hand side on that old road into the docks too; someone nicked my bike from there one day.

Anyone remember the two Lifebelt boxes that used to be on the straight section of the pier before the bend? We knew them as the 1st box and the 2nd box. Both good marks at high tide in a big sea. My dad lost a monster just past the 1st box one night. Trying to hand ball it up, it snapped his line and I can still remember the "Spla-doosh" as it dropped back into the water. He clashed his rod down on the pier and broke three of the rings so we had to go home. Happy days..............well that one wasn't!

[canman]

Does anyone else remember the big fishing boat that was up on wooden blocks, outside the Chandlers shop on the old road into the docks? It was there for years; I think there was a painting of that scene up on a gable end wall next to Wilkinson's; don't know if it's still up there.
There used to be a public toilet on the right hand side on that old road into the docks too; someone nicked my bike from there one day.

Anyone remember the two Lifebelt boxes that used to be on the straight section of the pier before the bend? We knew them as the 1st box and the 2nd box. Both good marks at high tide in a big sea. My dad lost a monster just past the 1st box one night. Trying to hand ball it up, it snapped his line and I can still remember the "Spla-doosh" as it dropped back into the water. He clashed his rod down on the pier and broke three of the rings so we had to go home. Happy days..............well that one wasn't!

I remember them well. I too lost a massive cod sometime in the 60's at the first box, didn't even get it outa the water. The trace just went ping, and it just rolled over like a fat old sow, and disappear into the murky water. Inexperienced and absolutely gutted.

[canman]

I have just noticed on the photo, 7th up from the bottom pic. It looks like the stone pier IS longer with a lighthouse or similar on the end, somewhere around 1903.
Wow, this all takes me back, I remember walking to school, (Newlands) along the railway lines to Newsham, watching the power station chimneys being built. Living right next to the railway embankment and those heavy trains shunting trucks into the docks from 5am every morning, the noise was horrific, and our ceilings all cracked.
Thanks Alan for posting .