Blyth Bebside Railway Station (Northumberland Line)

Wessex Archaeology

Wessex Archaeology was commissioned by to undertake an archaeological watching brief during the construction of a new railway station on land west of the A189, Bebside, Blyth, Northumberland, centred on NGR 428383 581280.

The monitored works covered 0.76 hectares and were divided into five irregularly shaped areas (trenches 1–5).

The aims of the project have been met. Three modern ditches or furrows and one modern pit were uncovered in the northern and south-eastern parts of the monitored area. Historic mapping shows that the area was an unoccupied field during the 19th and 20th centuries, therefore it is probable that
the uncovered features related to agricultural activity. There is no evidence that activity related to the Bebside Colliery extended into the development site.

A small assemblage of finds was recovered, comprising pottery, ceramic building material and glass. All finds were of late 19th to mid-20th-century date. Environmental remains recovered from the pit had a low potential to inform on the nature of the site and the feature, due to the low amount and poor condition of the wood charcoal recovered.

The absence of archaeological remains relating to the colliery activity and early railway at Blyth
means that the site is unable to contribute to the research themes identified for the project.