Kenton Bar Estate - A Blast from the Past

well well well... what's it to be then, eh?... what a month February was... 9 posts including 2 fantastic posts of hitherto unseen photos of our beloved pyramid courtesy of Ryder & Yates/Rutter Carroll...and then there's the magnificent previously unseen St Cuthbert's Green photo as well...the mystery of the plaque beside the arch 95% solved( we need to find out what is written on it )...but there's still the 3rd photo, photo 10 of the 8th wonder of the world yet to be revealed...well, do you want to see it?... or should we choose selfishness over altruism?... I reckon were up to 297 posts...3 more and thats 300...on July 21st the blog is 2 years old... Hope you enjoy the blog and please keep your contributions and comments coming...this is the history of the beautiful estate where we grew up on in the making... and a legacy for others to come.... best wishes, Kenton Bar Blog

Wonderful eh?...this confirms the 3 semi circles visible above the concrete in photo 8 were the top of three kids heads!(all 3 Ryder & Yates photos presumably taken on the same day)-incidently I do believe the lads could be the Slater family-Glen, Shaun and another brother whose name I forget!...no idea who the 2 girls are, but probably sisters/twins(identically dressed) Glen(older brother) possibly sitting on a chopper bike(left handle bar visible) No water coming out of the pyry-post water era...3 concrete alcoves visible here for the humble resident to rest their weary limbs after shopping...but no doubt no wooden bit to sit on due to mindless vandalism... is that a drainage trench in the top of the concrete wall?How did it work do you think? Hope you like it

Lets cut to the chase! I would like to dedicate this photo, photo 8 of the 8th wonder of the world to Shades-without his first photo of the pyramid which we(the master & I) chanced upon one glorious day, this blog would have probably never have happened...and also thank him for all his help over the last 2 years! Now just look at this....breathtaking eh? Photo taken looking NW,the previously unphotographed magnificent step pyramid in the foreground...note the advertising hording outside the newsagent...(I have no recollection of that)-the advertisment says'Theres no taste like Heinz' and has a bottle of tomato sauce on the bottom right...can you just see the 3 tiny semicircles just sticking up from the concrete wall to the left side of the pyry?...what do you think they might be!?...note the alcove visible to the right of the step pyramid-this initially contained a wooden bench top for the humble resident to sit on and admire the view...sadly when this photo was taken it ...

Hello! Well I've calmed down a little so here is the first of 4 wonderful photos we got from Ryder & Yates & Rutter Carroll(the other 3 are of our beloved pyramid) This is taken from the arch(brickwork just visible on the right) and is truly lovely, a beautiful summer day(like we used to have back in those days) taken I'm guessing about 3-4pm(note the length of the shadows)...the housing has not yet been ruined by the addition of the roofs. I particularly like the colours of the T1s. Note also a very interesting inspiration in design in that the street lighting seems to consist of lamps built onto the sides of the houses!-they are silver topped with a like blue reflector strip part coming down vertically and fixed to the wall(maybe they adapted this feature for the blue lighting in the wall near the pyramid) 2 wall lamps are visible on the T2s? to the left and 1 visible on the very end right T1 - there are no lamp posts-I never realised this, but it is clear to see in...

My brothers and droogs: something incredible happened has just happened in the last 5 minutes...I am still shaking,mein little heart is racing...I have just seen 3 yes 3 of the most beautiful things I have ever seen my life... 'In places where darkness was shone brightly a radiant light'... 3 fantastic photographs of herself, the 8th wonder of the world, our beloved beautiful pyramid!!! I now know exactly how gollum felt as he danced in triumph on the edge of the abyss after getting the ring from Frodo...the jpegs were so huge the photos downloaded in slow motion...a shiver of utter awe and wonder ran through mein very soul as the photo's unfurled...tears welled in mein eyes...I have reached the zenith, the nadir of mein miserable existence... If only you could have shared the moment oh my brothers... and soon, Zoltan, soon I shall share all...but at the moment I am too shaken oh my brothers to up the post with the care and reverence it surely deserves...but I will...so p...

We noticed in the bibliography of the Ryder & Yates book by Rutter Carroll reference to an article in the Journal by Tony Henderson entitled 'Ryder & Yates's Social Housing'...apparently there was a bus tour organised by Rutter which included a walk about Kenton Bar Estate... here is the article, but as you can see disappointingly there are no photos of our beloved Kenton Bar Estate ...a nice photo of Rutter, the author of the book standing in front of some of the pilot Kenton Bar houses at St Cuthberts Green(with the ridiculous roofs added)...was the 8th wonder of the world(the pyramid) still there then I wonder, or had those myopic fools demolished it?...(more details to follow...)

There are still 5 bus stops on Hazeldene Ave, the road which circumnavigates the estate...One at the old number 8 terminus at the border between Kenton Bar and Kenton down the bottom, one at Dunnykirk, one at Mallowburn Crescent shops, one up at Apperley and one up the top of Ryal Walk...This one is the one at the shops...in my day it was brown, but I think this is still the same one but now black...made of metal...now I recall back in my time only the terminus bus stop and this one at the shops were 'covered' bus shelters:the other 3 were just like posts...I presume Ryder & Yates thought there was a need for a 'covered' bus stop at Mallowburn due to the number of passengers(being there for the purpose of shopping), but why so the terminus bus stop also?...I think I am correct in this recollection... and why not the other 3?-aesthetic reasons for tenants in the nearby houses?...now there is one more new 'covered' bus shelter, at Dunnykirk...more, the metal ...

Hello there!... I have been thinking of late of the Bagnall Cup, which I remember well...I seem to recall it was like covered in writing(cant make it out from this cropped image)...Round the base I am sure were placed little plaques(screwed on) denoting schools who had won it and in what year... I wonder however: a) Why it was called the Bagnall Cup' and... b)Where might it be now? (the days of Saturday schoolboy football are alas long gone...) any suggestions welcome!

Mr Mottram was a lovely old bloke...he used to often stand outside his house at the top of Hazeley Grove and was a proper gentleman who spoke to everyone and whom all the kids respected back in the 80's...he kept guard on his alley and no bounders & cads dared lurk there in the darkmans(be off with you you varmits!!!)...When we grew up and became young men we used to love having a chat with him in the Duke Of Wellington...he spoke like Churchill(but with a geordie accent) and was a very intelligent & interesting man...alas I fear he has passed on to a better place after I found this: 'A well loved community figure has passed away as he approached his 80th birthday...A memorial service was held for Edward Mottram, who died while visiting his daughter in America. Known as Eddy, he was the secretary of Kenton Bar Kenton Bar is a housing estate that is part of Kenton Ward in Newcastle upon Tyne. It is situated next to North Kenton, Cragston Park and Cowgate. It was cons...