The LNER Encyclopedia

Whilst she was Photographing my Grandfathers house a lady who knows im interested in railways found a plaque on some cottages nearby.The location is Union Park Road, Tweedmouth just about under the first few arches of the Royal Border Bridge. The plaque reads NER Cottage Homes 1935
Can any one comment further were these houses for retired railwaymen or for former employees that had been injured on railway service or indeed for widows of railwaymen. It seems late in the day for mention of the NER especially when you realise that the LNER had eleven years earlier carried out a major rebuild of Berwick station almost straight after the grouping.
The image is too big to download.

The organisation is still in existance and is now a housing association called the Railway Housing Association, It operates from Bank Top House in Darlington.

Thanks i will email them for a little history

The old railways supported all sorts of charities that existed for the benefit of railwaymen and their families, societies such as the GNR Sick and Funeral Fund, which existed right up to the time of privatisation (wound up and the assets shared amongst the members lest the privateers got their hands on the funds) and the Culross Mission, which still exists.

http://www.culrossmission.org/hist.htm

BR used to publish a list of paybill deduction codes, which was a very good little read - everything from house coal, convalescent homes, quarry bus fares, to officers mess fees!

There are 2 sets of homes that I am aware of.
1 near Tang Hall York and the other near Neville Hill in Leeds.
Both have either blue plaques or a stone tablet.

There is a terrace of NER Cottage Homes in Alnwick as well, I can't remember the date but I am sure it is also the mid '30's. I will check and try to get a picture of the stone plaque.

You will find that the modern day Railway HA has quite alot of properties some in various locations that you would not normally associate with railways.

I was wrong about the date, the Alnwick homes were built in 1928. I was nearly arrested taking this picture, but thats another story!

Plaque at Alnwick appears to be exactly same as Tweedmouth except for the date

I'm sure that there are some similar cottages in Hull but I can't for the life of me think where they are.

There are some bungalows outside the site of Pallion NER station with a plaque like the Alnwick one outside.

there are also some at s gosforth on haddricks mill road

third-rail wrote:there are also some at s gosforth on haddricks mill road

I remember those. My Grandfather was offered one in the late fifties. Last time I was up north they were still there.

Malcolm

Solario,

The Hull ones you're probably thinking of are on Kingston Road, Willerby, near the old H&BR station.

Not sure of the date, but the plaque is very similar/identical to the one in the photograph above IIRC.

I think there are some near the pier station in New Holland, too.

Many thanks md644,

I had been racking my brains to remember. I am sure that you are right; I lived in Kirkella for a while, late 80s/early 90s and would have occasionally walked the dog along Kingston Road.

I often walked the dog on the old H&B embankment between Gorton Road & Willlerby Square, a nice change from the streets but all too short a section.