Back In Time

Looks to me a bit like a coalhouse and an 'ootside netty' (outside toilet) that were common in the coal mining villages and towns in the old mining areas such as Durham and Northumberland, and possibly others too. I remember in the early 1950's going with my father to help my grandfather shovel his free issue of coal into the outside coalhouse. I seem to remember it was 1.5 tons every month (through the upper door). They were also common in non coal mine owned houses too.

The lower door now bricked up, was where the 'Night soil men' would come around to collect the deposits from the dry toilet. By the date I mentioned , it was sheer luxury because they had been 'modernised' with a flushing loo. but think of this; imagine the thoughts if they were the same now, and people had to go to the loo at 2am in a February morning with deep snow between warm bed and the relief of a toilet! Hence the widespread use of the chamber pot kept under the bed and emptied in the morning.

My Grandfather when he retired had to leave the miners house, but he had already prepared for this, and when he was working had bought a modest terraced house, but before he moved in, the 1st job he did to his house was construct a proper bathroom and toilet - Eeeee! Sheer luxury.
 
Last edited:
Thank you so much for explaining that for us.
It was taken in Northumberland not many miles from Durham.
Esh Wining aera to be precise.
We do live in luxury now a days.
 
I live about 7 miles from Esh Winning and the older properties have not changed a lot in the outside appearance. In Ashington, Northumberland which was claimed to be a village it was a closed community with at LEAST 6 major collieries close by, and the dozens of streets, and I mean dozens, built and owned by the coal mine owners still exist (now modernised) but were all very similar to the ones in Co Durham. Most of the houses in my street are old miners houses built about the turn of the 19th/20th C, with the one I live in, plus another 5 are about 30 years old, but to get planning permission, the builder had to have them built in stone to blend in with the others

As big as it was, Ashington did not have one Pub! The drinking houses were all Working Men's Clubs. Some still exist even now, and pubs are still few and far between, mainly on the outskirts, which are mainly new areas as the town spread. They have just got their passenger train service back after being removed about 50-60 years ago which saves people from commuting by car to Newcastle to work and the number of passengers has far exceeded what was expected.
 
I like old historical things, and the more you dig in to it the more interesting it becomes.
So old towns and city's are great for this sort of thing.
City's can be gritty and some are the opposite.
The people can also be great subjects.
Easy in a city, not easy in a small village or town to photograph.
Not for me at least.
But Durham, I loved it and would go back any time.
Hard Working Man
109 Job Done.JPG
 
I like both of these. The first is interesting and the second is a really good casual portrait. I would have liked to see all of the left foot in the last one but that's a very minor point. I was an army brat and grew up in reasonably civilised circumstances but I can remember the first visit we made to one of my maternal uncles in Leeds. When I asked where the lavatory was, I was handed a key and told it was in the lavatory block 50 yards down the road. Not only that but it was shared and so I was make certain that I left it as I found it. That was in the 1950's. Times have changed thank goodness.
 
Just by way of an after thought, 6 doors down from where my grandfather lived when he was in the mines, was another family who had two sons who went on to find fame and fortune away from mining - Jackie and Bobby Charlton.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top