Old blyth pier

[jameswlong1941]

old blyth pier

hi gordon i remember it as the wooden jetty as i used to live there before getting married and living now in sunderland . I caught many agood cod there back in the 1960s and there used to be a cafe called the mermaid across from the pier along the beach there ok.

[jameswlong1941]

old blyth pier

hi gordon i remember blyth pier as the wooden jetty .I was just a young lad then .just left school and was working in the mines .i caught many good cod there but everything seems to have changed. across from the pier just along the beach there was a cafe called the mermaid and opposite the cafe in sea area there was a pipeline dont know if it has changed but that was a good spot too i have since moved to sunderland as i married a ryhope lass ok

[g.ordon]

hi gordon i remember it as the wooden jetty as i used to live there before getting married and living now in sunderland . I caught many agood cod there back in the 1960s and there used to be a cafe called the mermaid across from the pier along the beach there ok.

Hi James, can't remember the cafe just that me and a few mates used to get the bus (308 I think) to the pier after stopping off at temples for some bait and tbh it wasn't very good rag. Then we used to kind of eek it out between us, quarter of a worm for a 30min soak or something. We used to hoy our pennies together and one of us would go to the shop that was on the other side of the road but a couple of hundred yards before the Riley for a few tabs. After that we had to blag our way back on the bus.

[Topfly]

Just looking at the link that Billzo put up this time last year if you count the planks on the " now " west pier there are seven, but in the photochrome pic there are ten. could this pic be of the middle pier, because it does not look like a cabin would fit on the left at the end, and was the light not rebuilt on the new west pier. just a thought.

[g.ordon]

Just looking at the link that Billzo put up this time last year if you count the planks on the " now " west pier there are seven, but in the photochrome pic there are ten. could this pic be of the middle pier, because it does not look like a cabin would fit on the left at the end, and was the light not rebuilt on the new west pier. just a thought.

Well spotted topfly, the lighthouse looks a bit different too. Maybe

[waco]

OK, that clears it up for me. Must have been an illusion stamped in my mind from childhood. Still have difficulty believing it though. Thanks for the feedback.

probably cos u had little legs when u was a boy and
it just seemed longer lol

[g.ordon]

probably cos u had little legs when u was a boy and
it just seemed longer lol

OK mate, yer were due a one.lol

[Topfly]

probably cos u had little legs when u was a boy and
it just seemed longer lol

dont talk about little legs Bob.

[Henry Wood]

That's an excellent find Henry. That puts an end to the discussion on whether or not there was ever a middle pier.
I've seen lots of old photos of the piers and the harbour entrance but I've never seen that one before. Is there any indication as to when it was built or how long it stood for?
Thanks again for your post.

Hi ChrisH, sorry, no information in the book about dates apart from the pic being circa 1890. Most pages are the same as the one I scanned - photos of then and now with brief comments describing the scenes and sometimes a little further info about whys and wherefores.

One thing I learned from the book, at the start of the 20th century Blyth seemed to be building up to becoming a major fishing port for both herring and white fish with even a special fish train leaving for York every day at 5.30 p.m. The outbreak of the First World War brought it all to an end: all the vessels of the Port of Blyth Steam Fishing and Ice Co. Ltd., were requisitioned by the government as well as the fishing sheds and adjacent plots of land. The ice factory was dismantled, all machinery was sold off and a submarine base was established. After the war there was nothing with which to re-establish the herring or white fish trade as a major industry.

The book is a fascinating pictorial history of Blyth with some special chapters for the lads here - "Port and Harbour" and "Pubs and Clubs" to name but two.
Only problem is it is out of print now but well worth keeping an eye on Amazon or eBay for a secondhand copy which is where I got mine.

Henry