It was the Coal Company that first got the idea of a toll gate at Barrington Colliery. The gate, which guarded the portion of the road between Choppington Railway Station and Barrington Colliery Institute had been operated by one family, the Fletcher’s, since 1869, until it was abolished in 1930, when the Bedlington Urban District Council took it over. This was the only entrance to the colliery village from the west. The other entrance was at Bedlington Station, and many complaints were ventilated at the continued iimposition of the toll during 1929.
The Fletcher’s were on duty 24 hours a day working for the Coal Company. When it closed it was operated by 56 year old Miss Jessie Ann Fletcher, who took it over after the death of her mother, Margaret, in 1902.
Levies were, motor vehicles and horse drawn carts and traps 6d. Cattle 1/2 d per head, which sum permitted free access to the road for the remainder of the day. Sheep were charged at a farthing per head. The toll did not affect pedestrians, cyclists or motor cyclists.

In July 1922 Mr James Dixon who was the enginewright at the Doctor Pit, Bedlington, retired on the eve of his 71st birthday after completing 59 years service with the Bedlington Coal Company.
For 32 years he held the position of enginewright at the Doctor Pit, during which time he had introduced many improvements at the colliery, where his valuable knowledge and initiative exercised in the interest and welfare of the management and men alike, had gained for him the admiration and esteem of both the colliery workmen and officials.
At the age of twelve, Mr Dixon, who was a native of Bedlington, commenced work at Barrington Colliery, one of the five pits of the Bedlington Coal Company, and was later to serve his trade as an enginewright. He displayed a great interest in mechanical affairs and studied the subject at evening classes and at home. At that time the agent was Mr John Middleton, Mr John Croudace was manager, and Mr John Short was the engineer.
Mr Dixon was characterised as an inventive genius. In 1911 a satisfactory remedy to the breaking away of tubs on the endless rope haulage was discovered by him, who introduced a safety catch which made the tubs secure.  Another invention by him was made on behalf of the dumb toilers of the mine, the pit ponies. They were frequently injured about the eyes by coming into contact with props, jagged pieces of the side and other projections, until Mr Dixon conceived the idea of the utility of wire gauze shades for their eyes. These protected the animals’ eyes considerably and stopped the blindness problem these poor animals were suffering. All Mr Dixon’s inventions were used in other mines.
In 1882 an exhibition of model railway couplings was held in Darlington, and the purpose of this was to devise the most effective method of coupling trucks. The model submitted by Mr Dixon, as the Bedlington exhibition, was highly commended, and secured for him a certificate of merit, which he framed and hung in his parlour.
What would undoubtedly have been a very lucrative invention had he put it on the market was the principle of the present day fountain pen. The continual dipping of the pen into the ink prompted Mr Dixon as he sat at the table of his home to manufacture a crude fountain pen. This consisted of a hollow tin tube which was filled with ink and corked, through which a needle was placed and a ready flow of ink was available. Several of these were made, as they became worn out through usage, but the unique pen was only to be seen at his home, otherwise the idea would undoubtedly have come into public use at a much earlier date than it did.

There was some considerable commotion at Bedlington during March 1890, owing to a strong fire that had been raging in the pit heap at the Dr. Pit Bedlington. With the fire raging for several days it was feared the gas works, which were situated a short distance away, may explode.
The engineer of the colliery, however, gave orders to a group of men to go to the heap and sink shafts in it. They then filled the shafts full of water by pipes from the pit to distinguish it. Immediately the water began to soak from the shafts into the heap the fire began to allay, much to the satisfaction of the nearest residents, not only because of the somewhat remote probability of an explosion, but also because of the sulphurous fumes which were in the atmosphere.

A new DVD on the history of Newcastle is to be released in June 2008. This DVD includes archive footage

and still photogrphs and is superbly narated.

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