bFI player
 

There's some local films on the BFI player,one about fishing has an Amble man setting off for the Coquet,I'm sure some of you will know him.

Thanks for pointing that out.

This one has some nice film of Amble. Starts at about 11.50:

http://player.bfi.org.uk/film/watch-...of-kings-1962/

Loved it, so refined, and such English spoken so proper like, with Elgar in the background!

I found the whole piece fascinating, but the Amble part took me back to the days of king coal and walking to Dovecote Street school from the Bottom End, over the railway track, watching for the trains coming, and then under the railway bridge on Percy Street by the British Legion. And the railway line running up past the end of Dovecote Street, it was all part of the place. (not to forget leapfrogging over the capstans on the pier)

Running along the side of a freewheeling coal wagon, with one hand on the brake looks like a dangerous occupation.

I remember as kids we were up the staiths winding the winch that lifts the coal chute shown in the film. We wound the whole thing up to the top then let go of the handle. For some reason the ratchet that stopped it unwinding again must have failed and the handle spun violently in reverse as the chute fell back down again. Unfortunately the handle hit my friend in the head and spilt his scalp. blood everywhere. None the worse though once the gushing blood had stopped. Robert Hun was his name. Sadly now deceased. We were always up to some mischief down the harbour. Big adventure playground.

Very interesting, the loco driver was Bill Henshall and the two teemers were Bill MacDonald, of local footballing , golfing fame and Bill Stott. Still Henshalls and Stotts in the locality today. Bill MacDonald still here, up Gloster Park and now in his eighties.