That was quite some hiatus

Starting New Year resolutions early then by getting my butt moving on this blog! Family reflections over the Christmas festivities reminded me of the time before I lived at Dinnington. My school years were spent at Chapel House (a new J T Bell (now Bellway) estate) near West Denton on the A69 and I remember weekly visits to my grandparents who lived at Woodlands Park, Wideopen on the great north road. Those were the days before Newbiggin Hall and Kingston Park Estates were built so the land between was largely agriculture and on approaching Kenton Bank Foot I can remember asking Dad to take the long way round to see the aerial ropeway. This carried coal in buckets from the Robert Pit at Dinnington owned by the East Walbottle Coal Company, near where I live now, to Prestwick Colliery where they had an agreement signed in 1911 to use the screens and presumably benefitted from connection to the rail network. I've looked for photos but the only one I've found is on Prestwick Miners blog which shows the crossing of the A696.

The two maps dated in the 1960's from the Keys to the Past site above show the route at a time before the Airport terminal was constructed and with the double bend still on the Dinnington - Prestwick Road. (Oh grief am I that old!) My trips being generally at the weekend I still remember the disappointment if the ropeway wasn't working and the buckets were stationary.