Bate's Plantation

The trackbed of a mineral line which served Belsay Colliery.

Arable land to the west of Ponteland.

Smith Patterson iron shield by the A696, in parish of Ponteland (Castle Morpeth District), near Milbourne turn, by the West side of road. May be lost. Inscription reads:- NEWcASTLE {<-arrow} 10 BELSAY 3¾ {arrow->} PONTELAND 2 Maker:- SMITH PATTERSON & CO BLAYDON Milestone Society National ID: NB_NCBS10

Football pitch at Northumberland College of Education playing at home in the yellow strips. Wednesday afternoons were always given over to sporting activities although everyone didn't participate. I always assumed those who didn't would rather study.

This former Cottage Home was known as RA during my teacher training days and where I spent my second year 1966 – 67. I shared a room with Ken Morley (Reg Holdsworth) eventually of Coronation Street fame --- I wonder if it’s worthy of a Blue Plaque? It’s now sold by Bellway as “The Listed at Ottermead” and each semi are priced at about £750,000. The Cottage Homes were supposed to be “listed buildings” four have been demolished to make way for new builds. Link

This former Cottage Home was known as RA during my teacher training days and where I spent my second year 1966 – 67. I shared a room with Ken Morley (Reg Holdsworth) eventually of Coronation Street fame --- I wonder if it’s worthy of a Blue Plaque? It’s now sold by Bellway as “The Listed at Ottermead” and each semi are priced at about £750,000. The Cottage Homes were supposed to be “listed buildings” four have been demolished to make way for new builds. Link

These are the former Cottage Homes that were built in 1903 and closed in 1959. The Cottage Homes were made up of around 14 large semi-detached cottages which together could house around 300 children at a time. There were workshops on site which would have been used for general upkeep and maintenance in the homes and also for training the boys in specific skills. Link Link From 1964 – 1981 it became The Northumberland Teacher Training College and most of the cottages became student accommodation. Five blocks of flats were built as well as lecture blocks and staff accommodation. In 1981 it became the HQ for Northumbria Police although all the buildings weren’t used most of the cottage homes were vacated apart from one used by the Chief Constable and for administration. The site was vacated for a new HQ in Wallsend in 2016 and a newly built Training and Communication Centre where the tennis courts used to be. “The former Northumbria Police headquarters site, including the listed buildings, was bought by Bellway in 2018 for £21 million, and this money has been reinvested into local policing in the area.” Chronicle Nov 2020. Link I have a long association with this site since my Grandmother was a foster parent at the Cottage Homes until it closed in 1959. I spent many a school holiday there and Christmas was especially memorable and we all gathered in the Old School and waited for Santa to arrive --- he always did. I returned in 1965 – 68 to train as a teacher although the first year was at The Hydro in Hexham. I returned full time from 1975 – 76 to study for a B Ed having completed eighteen months part time study.

These are the former Cottage Homes that were built in 1903 and closed in 1959. The Cottage Homes were made up of around 14 large semi-detached cottages which together could house around 300 children at a time. There were workshops on site which would have been used for general upkeep and maintenance in the homes and also for training the boys in specific skills. Link Link From 1964 – 1981 it became The Northumberland Teacher Training College and most of the cottages became student accommodation. Five blocks of flats were built as well as lecture blocks and staff accommodation. In 1981 it became the HQ for Northumbria Police although all the buildings weren’t used most of the cottage homes were vacated apart from one used by the Chief Constable and for administration. The site was vacated for a new HQ in Wallsend in 2016 and a newly built Training and Communication Centre where the tennis courts used to be. “The former Northumbria Police headquarters site, including the listed buildings, was bought by Bellway in 2018 for £21 million, and this money has been reinvested into local policing in the area.” Chronicle Nov 2020. Link I have a long association with this site since my Grandmother was a foster parent at the Cottage Homes until it closed in 1959. I spent many a school holiday there and Christmas was especially memorable and we all gathered in the Old School and waited for Santa to arrive --- he always did. I returned in 1965 – 68 to train as a teacher although the first year was at The Hydro in Hexham. I returned full time from 1975 – 76 to study for a B Ed having completed eighteen months part time study.

The new builds are where four "listed" Cottage Homes were demolished and five blocks of student accommodation once stood.

On the site of the former college tennis courts.

These houses were built on the site where four "listed" cottage homes once stood as well a five blocks of student accommodation.

These new homes stand on the site of two "listed" former Cottage Homes that were demolished. The two Cottage Homes became student accommodation RH and RJ in 1964

Two former "listed" Cottage homes and five blocks of student accommodation were demolished to make way for this new housing development.

Until 1959 these were Cottage Homes for children and from 1964 to 1981 student accommodation for Northumberland College of Education. The detached house right of the tower was the mater and matrons' house and later the office of the principal of the college. In 1981 it became the headquarters of Northumbria Police and was where the Chief Constable was based. A retired police inspector told me you only went there for two reasons --- to get promotion or bollocked! Now part of a "listed" housing development.

Since I submitted a photo on 15th January 2021 for this house a conifer had been removed --- not surprised. Link

New drainage culverts for the new housing estate on the site of the former Cottage Homes and Northumberland College of Education.