Blyth Spartans & The North Korean Question

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I stand on foreshore and survey South Beach. Miami, you ask? A quick glance does not reveal any art deco splendour - or at least none that can see. I have left the Other Half behind today, which is possibly just as well because at this point she would be pointing out that in not much more travel time we could have nearly reached Florida. I am in South Beach, Blyth. A lesser known tourist hot spot on the travel circuit and one not known to usually boast tropical temperatures. I was exploiting the value of the North East Explorer bus ticket once again. A bit of luck had seen me in Newcastle in a shade over 2 hours and I now headed along the Coast Road towards Whitley Bay. The old Wills Tobacco Factory stands comparison to any of the art deco factories on the A40 in London. I pass New York. Miami is perhaps the next stop after all? It was New York, Tyne and Wear after all. The places pass by - Percy Main and Billy Mill included. The latter could have been left wingers for the Boro, when players had proper names. I spy a space age structure opposite the North Tyneside Hospital, which turns out to be a school. They hit the nail on the head with the Building Schools for the Future Programme with this creation. We arrive at the coast at Whitley Bay. Spanish City has had a total makeover since was last here. The better class of house on Tyneside gazes out across the North Sea, which looking quite calm today. The stretch reminds me of the Coast Road between Redcar and Marske. I am in unknown territory. I consult maps.me to see the offshore blip of land is St Marys Island. I read it is also known by the title Bait Island. Seaton Sluice has a similarly to many fishing hamlets on the North East coast, although their hinterland doesn't come with an Obelisk in the field outside in tribute to a certain Admiral George Delaval. He was a local landowner and politician, who made good on his naval career and moved into politics. He acquired the nearby Seaton Delaval Hall, but didn't live to see his upgrades finished.

I arrive at South Beach, Blyth. The fine white sand strecthes towards the port to my left and back as far Seaton Sluice to the south. In other parts of the world, people would be raving about the quality. Here in Northumberland, this is just another in the long line of impressive pieces of sand. I regularly comment on the beach huts in the North East Premier Seaside Resort in emails to far flung parts of the globe. I call it chalet news, but these in front of me are officially beach huts and very impressive they are too. In the south of England, they are usually in private ownership and change hands for stupid sums of money. However, I read that for £35 per day one of these 20 beauties can be yours in the season. You are warned to "book early to avoid disappointment", so if you can get your crystal ball working it will be handy to select a sunny days at least a few months in advance. In the winter, a hut is yours for the period between September and May for £500 (inclusive of a kettle, 2 deckchairs and the rear terrace area). There was nobody around today getting value for their £500. The south of England was basking in 25 degree temperatures, but not Blyth.

The beach huts are overlooked by the Blyth Battery. It was originally built in 1916 to defend the nearby port facility and the submarine base. The buildings were added to in World War 2 and essentially all the main structures remain intact. The observation post is now open for internal examination and one of the other buildings is now transformed into an educational facility to show life during the conflict. A fairly recent development is the installation to 2 mock guns to recreate the full feel. I walk on towards the bandstand, which looks in good condition but a little abandoned. A row of executive houses with upside down living and first floor lounges face out to the beach. The new estate behind was still offering properties from £115,000. I walked along the edge of the Port of Blyth southern section. High fences and cameras prevailed. The main occupants seemed to be offshore supplies companies. Huge reels of plastic pipes were lined up like giant bobbins of cotton. Ridley Park was laid out in 1904. A centenary wheel gave the clue. A statue to the park founder was missing. I read that 1st Viscount Ridley was a Conservative politician and former Home Secretary. I doubt he would hold much sway with the electorate in these parts today. I guess the statue might return at some point. The plinth was all that remained. A little further on 3 wrought iron figures depicting Local Heroes stood side by side. Stan Laurel was included. He has a statue in Bish too where he was born, but this claim was on the basis of his early acting here in Blyth where his father was a Theatre Manager. The removal of 2 trees had been turned into a positive - one stump transformed into a wooden seat and the other cut in the shape of a mushroom. The houses opposite the park were fine Edwardian stock. Flowers and apple blossoms highlighted their attractiveness. I spied the Blyth Lighthouse from the nearby War Memorial. At nearly 62 feet tall, I guess that wasn't difficult. It is referred to as the High Light, but strangely tucked away from the coast in the lane behind Bath Terrace. I suppose that land has been reclaimed since the construction in 1788 and it was originally on the water edge. A further clue towards the original position by the water was the nearby Rocket House. Scaffolding surrounded the outside. A lot of vessels floundered near the shore and rather than launching the traditional lifeboat, a standard method of rescue was to attach a rope to it by firing a shore based rocket. the equipment was stored on a cart ready for rapid deployment and hence the need for a base near the shore. The Rocket House was locked up and seemingly unused.

I wandered off towards the water. The RNLI base was closed up, but I took note of the blue plaque on an adjacent wall.It paid tribute to Captain William Smith. He was a local seafarer, who made important discoveries in the southern oceans and seems to have been completely overlooked in subsequent history. In 1819, while sailing cargo on a ship he part owned - The Williams - he sailed south of Cape Horn to catch good winds. On 19 February, he spotted a new land at 62° south latitude and 60° west longitude. smith didn't land and on his return, the authorities did not believe his discovery. Captain Smith undeterred by being snubbed, made a new voyage on 16 October and landed on the largest of the islands. He named it King George Island and the group, the South Shetland Islands. He was subsequently chartered by the Royal Navy for a 3rd trip and discovered the Antarctic Peninsula. The discoveries didn't seem to make him a household name, so he has to be content with this small tribute.

The quay looked like it had received a revamp. The new wooden staithes stretched along towards the North Docks. The area was largely devoid of ships. A solitary oil pipelayer was tied up. The crew were on board, presumably waiting for further instructions. The port is supposed to be big in paper pulp, imported from Scandanavia and used in the newspaper industry, but I saw no evidence today. The big export obviously used to be coal, but that is long gone. The railway into town has also closed. The last local pit closed in 1986. Shipbuilding was also a force and the Royal Navy's first aircraft carrier was built here in 1914. The building facing the port was called Commissioners Quay. It described itself as a "contemporary pub with rooms" and "a destination in its own right". It looked rather posh and certainly not an obvious pub. I would later take note of their advertising at the match. The quay here was dominated by a strange looking sculpture. The 50 feet high "Spirit of the Staithes" is a creation by Sunderland based artist Simon Packard. A panel nearby describes the inspiration for the 2003 project as the export of coal loaded on to ships from the now restored staithes or wharf. I moved inland from the quayside and stumbled upon Quayside Fish and Chips. I was initially suspicious of any establishment that also supplied pizzas and kebabs, but the fish was cooked to order and a competitive price. I walked away pleasantly surprised. It was not Colmans in South Shields, but would comfortably beat the finest on offer in the East Midlands. The area immediately behind was old Blyth. The markings of the Blyth & Tyne Brewery were still just about visible on a nearby warehouse. The whitewashed pub now running under the name of The Quay was the original outlet for the brewery. There was the former Custons House and the old Police Station and Magistrates Court was seriously grand. It suggested civic wealth beyond the size of the town. The old Kings Head Hotel was no more and closed up. The Harbourmaster building sat on a prominent corner, along from the whitewashed Quay Inn.

The town centre of Blyth is visibly struggling. An advert sings the praises of Blyth Market - the original Market. The advert is perhaps a reference to Morrisons own Market Street, that sits round the corner in their very much in town superstore. The actual market has limited stalls and looks a bit lost in space available. I found a Ladbrokes - other bookies are available - and contributed another 2 x 50 pence lines of speculation to their profits. A fine old Victorian tiled pub displaying the Blyth & Tyne logo was a beautifully preserved example of a Victorian drinking house ... at least from the exterior. Frameworks was a hive of activity. The exterior was surrounded by a Victorian covered iron canopy and interior contained an "art cafe", which was appealing to the masses judging by the numbers within. The Wallaw is an unusual name and now the home to the local Spoons. It was formerly a 1600 seat cinema built in 1937. The interior contains some serious art deco, which I would have liked to photograph in more detail. I figured my prying lense wasn't necessarily welcome on a busy Saturday lunchtime.

I set off towards Croft Park. I noted Brunos Wine & Cocktail Bar next door had bitten the dust. A notice indicated that it was permanently closed from just after New Year. Cocktails and happy hours had not fought off the competition alomost next door. The Blyth Submariners Memorial celebrated the link between the town and the service. An anchor from the now scrapped HMS Tiptoe forms part of the Memorial. I walked past the Prince of Wales and the now boarded up Flying Horse. A sign outside stated "Temporary Opoortunities Available". It had gone the same way as Brunos.

Croft Park is a steady 10 minute walk from the town centre. I checked the nearest bus stop for my exit afterwards to Newcastle and beyond. Travel arrangements are a talking point at Croft Park. A small advert board behind one goal put Blyth at the centre of a media frenzy earlier this eason. It simply states "Visit North Korea" and quotes a website address. Had a small non-league football club forged links with little Rocket Man and got a step ahead of The Donald? The advert was placed by a Sunderland based travel firm, keen to let everybody keep an open mind about travelling to a country which doesn't exactly get great write ups most of the time. The North Koreans are of course very keen on the North East, after their World Cup 1966 experiences. Anyway, the advert worked. it surely generated serious exposure for the capital outlay and I have looked at what they are promoting on their website. They even offer a football tour. I wonder which bus I will need to get for that one? Blyth Spartans are a well known name in non-league circles. The FA Cup "giant killing" over the years has put their name in lights, so I was quite surprsied that this afternoon presented an opportunity for their highest ever finish in the pyramid league system.There had been stories in the press how the management were not happy with the playing budget to allow progression, but others were keen to drum up the size of the crowd to carry the Spartans into the play offs. It was simple. Win and the play off place was secured. A slip up could see them overtaken. The crowd did indeed turn up in sizeable numbers. A Blyth Spartans "Stoke" flag was unveiled. Green and White prevailed. The links between others in Green and White stripes were highlighted on an advert board. It was a long way from Seville and Real Betis. The Commssioners Quay had a long stadium advert above one goal, "Spartans Do Not Ask How Many Are The Enemy, But Where Are They? Southport had nothing to play for and turned up with one eye on their midweek Lancashire FA Challenge Trophy Final. The 30 or so accompanying fans brought a drum and drummer dressed as a yellow banana and a flag claiming Southport FC The Future. The ref calmed the nerves with the award of an early penalty. The Southport keeper let it squirm under his body and helped the party start. Southport capitalized on the nerves in the 2nd half and snatched an equaliser. The ref stepped up again for the locals. Penalty. The same scorer dispatched it into the same corner and the victory was secured. I didn't stick around for the celebrations. The bus to Newcastle was leaving soon..... or was that North Korea.

Vanarama National League (North)

Blyth Spartans AFC 2 Southport FC 1

Date : Saturday 27th April 2019 @ 1500 Hours

Venue : Croft Park, Plessey Rd, Blyth, Northumberland. NE24 3JE

Attendance : 1491

Scorers : 1-0 Dale (Blyth Spartans) 6 Mins Pen, 1-1 Platt (Southport) 55 Mins, 2-1 Dale (Blyth Spartans) 70 Mins Pen,

Blyth Spartans : Jameson, Nicholson, Liddle, Green (Wrightson 75 Mins), Buddle, Watson, Rivers (Holmes 84 Mins), Mullen (Oliver 47 Mins), Maguire, Atkinson, Dale

Southport : Handford, Richards (Lacey 71 Mins), Ogle, Edwards, Astle, Platt, Davies, Wood, Charles, Parry, Homson-Smith

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Photos

Blyth Spartans AFC v Southport FC
.....the ingenious piece of advertising in a North East football ground

Ridley Park
Stan Laurel Statue

Blyth Spartans AFC v Southport FC
Blyth ..... home of a football poet

Comments

[Rainyb]

Thanks for sharing. Esp liked the metal carvings!