Amble Braid pre-marina
 

Some pictures from slides prior to the Marina work starting

and another one showing the old shoreline before the marina was built

Wow,
 

I was aver young when this started, I reckon about 9 ish. I remember seeing the braid just before the marina was built and just the other day I was trying to remember the Braid before the marina. Much appreciated. A good school friend lived on a boat here, they vanished like ships in the night ( excuse the pun ) I never knew where they went and lost a good friend but their boat ( the plessey ) I found, awaiting restoration, in the marina at St. Peter's basin marina, Newcastle. I have fond memories of folks I met at the marina. To have this picture showing the before and after though is a fabulous way for someone more my age, to be reminded that it wasn't always pleasure boats entering the river here. Keep up the good work folks, everything so far has blown me away.

I seem to remember calling somewhere around this area "the Gut". Do the two words "Braid" and "Gut" refer to same place?

If I remember correctly the Gut is part of the original waterway of the Coquet before it changed its course. It was in effect a big southerly meander in the Coquet's course to the sea further north. Swept round under Gloster Hill.

Back in the day, pre Marina, the Braid used to be the Council rubbish tip. The bin lorries...small grey things with a lidded container, one either side were filled with mostly ash from coal fires, it seemed like, and all dumped down on the Braid :)

Spoil from Hauxley pit heap was also tipped at the braid about 1970 ish

AmbleBraid pre marina
 

Heres a pic I took in 1965,with the old jetty in view.
Hope it is of interest.
George GrayAttachment 413

Amble Braid pre marina
 

I photographed this old relic on the same day in 1965,
Shows what an interesting place the old braid was.
George Gray.Attachment 414

Fascinating pictures George.

Was that timber jetty located near what is now the site of the Yacht club building?

Amble braid pre marina
 

Yes coquet, I think it was just down river from the yacht club.
We used to call it the west jetty, and the bit of wood structure in the front of the picture may have been in front of the old green boathouse, but not sure.
I really enjoy this forum,
George Gray.

Thanks George, they are great photos, thanks for sharing.

I have saved the wood jetty one on my computer and magnified it. A couple of things - the existing concrete wall /jetty next to the boat club must be what is shown at the start of the wood jetty? The picture was therefore taken about 50 yards down river of the old green hut. Also note how high the "heap" is on the righthand side which is now all gone - around the site of the Coquet Yacht Club?

Amble braid pre marina
 

Hollydog, you have made me think.
I shot this one a few weeks ago , and now wonder if those pieces of wood in the foreground could be what remains of the structure in the front of my jetty photo where the green hut may have beenAttachment 415.
I should have taken alot more photos of the area in the 1960s, but there we go.
George gray.

The green hut was definitely in that position, it blew down in 1983 and by pure coincidence I am sitting next to an Arthur Young picture of it!
Note the timber on his picture and yours!

Now I've just been looking at my Arthur Young of 1972 which seems to have been painted looking downstream from where your painting is looking upstream, Hollydog. It also seems to fit with George's 1965 photo. I'll have to get the camera out :)

The Braid
 

All I can remember from the late 40s is that at the end of north street you went down to the "gut"(How did it get that name?)and there where stepping stones across to the "braid".All along this stretch were old boats and the detritus from fishing boats ,also the RAF launches were opposite and could be reached by the adventurous!Maybe Alan j can add a little ,I am sure he and I were there together!!

The stepping stones over the Gut were down a path to the right of Smith's bus garage and were there until that part of the Gut was filled in early 80s. My dad's saturday job in the 40s was to tip the shop waste down there using wheelbarrows. The lower area around Campbell Smith's yard (proposed Tesco site) is all reclaimed land and basically full of rubbish!!

The original "Gut"
 

As Hollydog says the gut was crossed by stepping stones beside where Smiths garage was, this gave access to the "Braid" or as we called it in the 50's, "The Jungle". We used to go over there for hours on end and play war games, "Japs and English", "Cowboys and Indians" etc. There were lots of places to hide in the old shipyard foundations and there were bushes and trees to give the " Jungle" effect.
As has been previously mentioned the council tip was also over there and I made many a bike out of bits and bobs picked up from the tips.
There was an old RAF launch alongside the West jetty and we went over the mud flats to play on this too, all very different to nowadays when kids are in the house on their phones, computers etc.
You had to watch the tide as if it got too far in the stepping stones were covered and the long walk home was via the Warkworth road and the Wynd. I'm sure this will jog George Grays memory as he was probably over there with us at some point.
The jetty on George Grays photo must had been a relc from the shipyard days.

I guess the name of the "gut" has come from the older name for the area of the Braid "goatess". This seems to have been a large area of marsh land, sometimes called the "salt goats".

Amble braid pre marina
 

My Thanks to Hollydog for posting the Arthur Young picture, it confirms just where the hut was in relation to my colour photo.
I remember a couple of us sitting infront of the hut making boats out of old tins
with paper sails and sending them over the river and firing stoes at them from catapults.
I also recall the RAF had a tip next to the Warkworth road, where there was quite often bits off planes and tins of airforce paint to get in a mess with.
Alan describes those days of adventure very well.
Its a pity the kids today dont have the same fun.
Best regards,
George Gray.