Whitley Bay Remembered (Part One) was published in October 2015 and covered the coastal strip from St. Mary’s Island to the Cullercoats boundary and its associated history. Whitley Bay Remembered (Part Two) will complement that edition and concentrate on the Town Centre and former village of Whitley, by looking at its development through the streets, buildings, shops and trades which have existed here over the years, and have been fundamental in its evolution.

Today, like many other town centres throughout the country, Whitley Bay has suffered with shop closures because of a drop in retail trade, which is attributable to a number of factors.

Prior to the 1980s, most retail shopping was done in town and city centres; however, retail parks and out of town supermarkets and shopping centres sprang up as a result of the increase in car ownership, which accounts for a loss of local trade. This in turn is exacerbated by internet shopping, which also takes away trade from our local economy.

In the ‘Good Old Days’, Whitley Bay flourished with almost every kind of business and shop imaginable: butchers, bakers, cobblers, tailors, jewellers, cafes and drapers – the list is practically endless. These businesses were a vital part of the community and rendered the town almost self-sufficient.

By today’s standards, it is very difficult to perceive the bygone array of different trades and businesses, all of which operated so close together. The facades and frontages were neat and tidy, window displays were large and varied and the signage above the shops was artistic and self-explanatory. Windows and steps were cleaned daily, door brasses were polished and lots of pride and effort was taken to attract, welcome and maintain customers.

This book is illustrated with many old images of the town and reflects on those years where happy memories and good times will be remembered.

After a short introductory talk and slideshow by Charlie, the book will be officially launched at 6.30pm on Tuesday 10th May at Whitley Bay Library (Customer First Centre) on York Road. Admission is free, however it is advisable to book a place in advance by contacting the library by calling  0191 643 5390 or by emailing whitleybay.library@northtyneside.gov.uk.

Copies of the book will be available to purchase at £9.99 each.

by Charlie Steel © 2016

Further reading for many of Charlie’s articles can be found in his books: ‘Monkseaton Village’ (Vol. 1 & 2), ‘North Shields Public Houses, Inns & Taverns’ (Part 1 & 2), ‘Tynemouth Remembered’ and ’Whitley Bay Remembered’ (Part 1 & 2) , all published by Summerhill Books.

More information on www.monkseaton.info and on the Monkseaton Village Facebook Page.

The Delavals came to England from Lower Maine, following the Norman Conquest. Their history began with William The Conqueror and ended just before the Battle of Waterloo, as the last Delaval died in 1814.

The name Delaval was corrupted from the actual family name spelled as ‘De La Val’. In local folklore, the family came to prominence as an extraordinary group of entrepreneurs and were renowned as a bevy of pranksters, gamblers and theatrical types.

Although they became famous soon after Seaton Delaval Hall was built, the Delaval family were also infamous because of their wild, reckless and eccentric way of life. Amongst their number were two accidental heroes, Sir Francis Blake Delaval and his brother, Lord Delaval and there are many separate tales to be told about each of them with their numerous escapades.

One of the most interesting stories involves Sir Francis Blake Delaval, and relates to the legend of Starlight Castle, the ruins of which sit on a grassy bank above the Seaton Burn next to Holywell Dene. These ruins are now simply a remnant of what must have been one of the eighteenth century’s most ambitious wagers.

Legend has it that Sir Francis had a number of mistresses living on his estate, and in the year 1750, he was soon to expect a lady visitor from London. As he had nowhere to lodge her, the idea struck him to build a castle for her. His actor friend, Samuel Foote laughed at his enthusiasm and reminded him that the residence was required now, and that castles could not be built in a day.

“Oh yes,” said Sir Francis, “I’ll wager you a hundred guineas that I build one in a day before the month is out.”

As it was unthinkable for any eighteenth century gentleman to turn down such a bet, Foote accepted. Sir Francis then gave orders for a castle to be built according to plans he had produced. All the materials had been prepared and made ready in advance, and at midnight on the appointed day, under the cover of starlight, a huge team of builders and workmen began construction. Within 24 hours, not just a house but a castle had been built, thus allowing Sir Francis to win the wager!

Subsequently known as Starlight Castle, it was lived in well into the nineteenth century, but now its lonely ruins remain hidden amongst overgrown woods and a tangle of brambles and briars.

In 1971, the BBC produced a film entitled ‘Those Delavals’ which told the story of the mad escapades, mischievous pranks, and eccentric behaviour of the two men who were eventually set to ruin the Delaval Estates. The producer, Roger Burgess, subsequently wrote a book based on the film.

by Charlie Steel © 2016

Further reading for many of Charlie’s articles can be found in his books: ‘Monkseaton Village’ (Vol. 1 & 2), ‘North Shields Public Houses, Inns & Taverns’ (Part 1 & 2), ‘Tynemouth Remembered’ and ’Whitley Bay Remembered’ (Part 1) , all published by Summerhill Books.

More information on www.monkseaton.info and on the Monkseaton Village Facebook Page.

This is the last in a series of 13 articles outlining the origins behind many of our local places and landmarks. I hope you have found this and all the previous articles interesting.

West Allotment was first known as Northumberland Place and is 3.5 miles north-west of North Shields. The area was built in 1820-1821 on that part of the Shire Moor which, at its enclosure, was allotted to Preston Township and became known as West Allotment from the rental of over 100 nearby allotment plots. Local amenities included shops, the Northumberland Arms pub, a working men’s club and community centre. New roads and housing have been developed in recent years.

Wheatridge was once a small hamlet within Seaton Delaval Township which incorporated Wheatridge Farm and was originally referred to as Whit Ridge. Little now remains of the original place and development of the area now includes a new housing estate by the name of Wheatridge Park. The name Wheatridge is also evident in some local street names.

Whitehill Point was the shipping point for the 18th century wagon ways from the scattered pits of Flatworth, Shiremoor and Murton. Royalties belonged to the Duke of Northumberland and the earliest staith was the Northumberland Spout, which served these pits and would have had a large covered staith house with under-cover storage for coal when the tide was wrong for loading. Later the Backworth Staiths, they were replaced between 1884 and 1898 by the Tyne Commissioners.

Whitley Bay: ‘Whitley’ is derived from White Lea (or white clearing). Originally known as Whitley or Whitley-by-the-Sea, it is widely held that the present name resulted from local indignation at the confusion with Whitby over a century ago, with ’Bay’ being added in an effort to differentiate. Whitley is first mentioned around 1100, when King Henry I conferred it with other possessions on the Priory of Tynemouth. Before that date, ancient documents and maps referred to Witelei, Wyteley, Hwyteleg, Witelithe, Wheteley, Wytheleye, Whitlaw, Whitlathe and Whitlag. The name can also be attributed to the deWhitley family, local landowners who held a manor house in the area up to 1538.

Whitley Links is the area of coastal grassland between the northern extremity of Whitley Bay and the Cenotaph. The definition of ‘links’ refers to ‘a golf course – especially one on grass-covered sandy ground near to the sea’. Prior to the laying out of the present golf course, members of Whitley Bay Golf Club first started using the Links as a course in October 1890.

Whitley Lodge Estate was built during the 1950s and 1960s and took its name from a farm which stood on the seafront, slightly south of the Brier Dene.

Wooden Bridge: During the 1700s, an area of swampy ground called Dogger Letch existed at the bottom of the present Bedford Street in North Shields. It was crossed by a wooden bridge (last shown in Woods map of 1827) to connect the present Liddle and Clive Streets. A nearby toll house was demolished in 1857. The area has long been known as ‘Wooden Bridge’.

by Charlie Steel © 2016

Further reading for many of Charlie’s articles can be found in his books: ‘Monkseaton Village’ (Vol. 1 & 2), ‘North Shields Public Houses, Inns & Taverns’ (Part 1 & 2), ‘Tynemouth Remembered’ and ’Whitley Bay Remembered’ (Part 1) , all published by Summerhill Books.

More information on www.monkseaton.info and on the Monkseaton Village Facebook Page.

This series of articles begins to draw to a close with the penultimate collection of local place names.

Short Sands is an alternative name given to the small beach otherwise known as King Edwards Bay.

Silverlink: Built in 1935, the Silver Link was the first London and North Eastern Railway locomotive to pull a new train called the Silver Jubilee, which reached a record breaking 112mph on its inaugural journey from King’s Cross to Newcastle on 29 September 1935. Withdrawn from service in 1963, it now loans its name to the retail park just off the Coast Road between North Shields and Wallsend.

Spital Dene: Old maps show several variations in the spelling of Spital Dene including ‘Spytel’, ‘Spytal’, ‘Spitall’ and ‘Spittle’. A ‘Spital’ is an archaic name for a hospital which usually deals with contagious diseases, and in this case Spital Dene derived its name from the nearby St. Leonard’s Hospital, the ruins of which were recently unearthed in Northumberland Park.

Table Rocks was a unique outdoor tidal swimming pool created from a natural inlet in the rock formations at Whitley Bay. The rocks were formally developed as a bathing pool in 1894 and so named because of their flat and level surface.

The Gut is an area of North Shields Fish Quay, built in the 1920s to provide shelter and accommodate the fishing fleet; however, the first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1801 indicates that the Gut was originally the outlet for the Pow Burn. Why it was called ‘The Gut’ is open to speculation.

The Redder is a local name for a small copse situated between Earsdon and Wellfield. A small hospital once stood here as an isolation centre for patients with scarlet fever, making the name self-explanatory.

Tynemouth: Standing at the mouth of the River Tyne, the origins of this name are self-evident. Various old maps and documents can show varied spellings, the most common of which is ‘Tinmouth’.

Tynemouth Bar guards the entrance to the River Tyne and is the point where the flowing tide of the North Sea sweeps strongly across the river mouth – almost at right angles – resulting in a build-up of sand and silt. This causes a series of strong cross-tidal currents, which in past years, and prior to the construction of the present piers, have proved hazardous to shipping.

Wellfield is the area adjacent to Earsdon Road between West Monkseaton and Earsdon Village. Also referred to as South Wellfield, the name derives from Earsdon Well which stood in a field just a few yards north of the main entrance road to the present estate, and was once the main water source which supplied the residents of nearby Earsdon Village. Between the 1700s and 1800s, much of the farmland surrounding Monkseaton Village was dotted with wells and springs, and the area upon which Wellfield Estate was built was no exception. Old Ordnance Survey maps show the existence of pumps and wells in this area and there is still evidence of two small drainage channels or ‘burns’.

by Charlie Steel © 2016

Further reading for many of Charlie’s articles can be found in his books: ‘Monkseaton Village’ (Vol. 1 & 2), ‘North Shields Public Houses, Inns & Taverns’ (Part 1 & 2), ‘Tynemouth Remembered’ and ’Whitley Bay Remembered’ (Part 1) , all published by Summerhill Books.

More information on www.monkseaton.info and on the Monkseaton Village Facebook Page.

The eleventh article in this series explains the origins of more of our local place names.

Seaton Delaval was originally a small hamlet dating back to the time of the Norman Conquest. William the Conqueror allotted these lands to the De la Val family and they were first attested as ‘Seton de la Val’ in 1270. ‘Seaton’ is derived from Sea and Tun meaning a village, farmstead or hamlet near to the sea.

The De la Val family took their name from Le Val in Normandy, with their descendants still being major landholders in the area today. The main feature of the area is Seaton Delaval Hall – a fine stately home which is approached from the west by a mile-long road with an avenue of trees.

Seaton Sluice lies half a mile north of the village of Hartley. The area was originally called Hartley Pans because of the salt pans that existed from 1236 and which were used to make salt. The village eventually became known as Hartley Haven, and was used for the export of coal as well as salt. When alterations to the harbour were made in 1761, a cut was made through the solid rock of the old harbour with sluice gates at both ends, which trapped the seawater at each high tide. This area then became known as Seaton Sluice.

Seaton Terrace was once a small hamlet situated on the Shields and Morpeth Turnpike Road, one mile north of Holywell Village. It consisted of a row of neat and substantial two storey stone cottages, with two inns and three grocers’ shops. It has since been swallowed up within the confines of Seaton Delaval.

Seatonville Estate derives its name from Seatonville Farm, which stood nearby, and Seatonville is derived from Seaton Villa, the former name of Seatonville Farmhouse. The word ‘Seaton’ however has a wider definition evident in the name ‘Monkseaton’.

Seghill: Part of the Parish of Earsdon, and originally known as Syghall in 1198, the word derives from old English with a meaning of ‘Haugh on the Sige Stream’. It was later spelled as Sighill and Sedgehill and was a small hamlet which lay a short distance south-west of Seaton Delaval.

Sharpness Point is a small headland projecting into the North Sea at Tynemouth and is the only promontory in Northumberland with the suffix ‘ness’.

The word ‘ness’ is a geographical term (or suffix) for a promontory, cape or headland projecting into a body of water, and derives from the Old English ‘næs’ meaning headland. The prefix ‘sharp’ probably refers to the steep angle of the promontory.

Shiremoor is a derivative of Tynemouthshire Moor, which originally referred to the common of the manor of Tynemouth. As the local coal industry grew, the area first developed as a small village to house miners from the local pits. Shiremoor now comprises numerous estates, including the oldest two estates of Bertram Grange and Old Shiremoor plus the newer Park Estate. The adjoining area has since expanded to incorporate commercial businesses.

by Charlie Steel © 2016

Further reading for many of Charlie’s articles can be found in his books: ‘Monkseaton Village’ (Vol. 1 & 2), ‘North Shields Public Houses, Inns & Taverns’ (Part 1 & 2), ‘Tynemouth Remembered’ and ’Whitley Bay Remembered’ (Part 1) , all published by Summerhill Books.

More information on www.monkseaton.info and on the Monkseaton Village Facebook Page.