Blyth is a town in Southeast Northumberland.
The port in Blyth dates back from the 12th century and the modern town only came into being at the beginning of the 18th century.
The town’s economy came from coal mining and shipbuilding but the salt trade, fishing and the railways each played an important part.
Most of these industries have long gone but the port is still a strong source of economy. It mainly ships paper from Scandinavia for the newspaper industry of England and Wales.
The modern town has had a lot of redevelopment since 1990. The Keel Row Shopping Centre was opened in 199l and has brought many High Street stores to Blyth. Some of the shops to be found here include Adams, New Look, Bonmarche, Select, Pal Joey and Burton.
There is also a market in town held on three days a week in the Market Place. Plans to redevelop this have been approved and when completed the area will include a water feature, trees and a performance area.
Industry in Blyth reached its height in the early 20th century and many houses were built, mostly between the 1920’s and 1930’s and again between the 1950’s and l970’s.
At this time one of the largest shipbuilding yards was in Blyth with five dry docks and four slipways.
During both World Wars, Blyth shipyards built many ships for the Royal Navy including in 1914 the first aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal. Blyth served as a submarine base during the wars and by the early 1960’s was exporting over six million tons of coal.
In the 1960’s Blyth fell into decline and in 1964 the railway passenger services into Blyth were stopped and all trains were stopped the following year. It was only a year later, in 1966, that the shipyards were forced to close because of the depression.
In the following years more people were turning from coal to oil and gas and this led to the closures of collieries and in 1980 only Bates’ Pitt remained open, this was to close in 1986.
Today the port is still a major industry and is used for the transportation of forest products such as wood pulp, paper and timber plus the import of materials used in the production of aluminium.
Liners feature prominently in the port with connections to the Continent, Scandinavia, Latvia, Russia and Malaysia.
In 1992 a wind farm was erected along Blyth’s East Pier. Nine turbines can provide electricity for 1,500 homes and in 2000 two turbines were constructed one kilometre off shorethey were, at that time, the largest in the world.
In May 2007, a clean coal power station was proposed by the RWE npower. It is goes ahead around 1,500 jobs will become available and a further 200 would be needed to run the plant. This would open in 2014 and would be able to supply around 3.5m homes.
Property to rent is available in Blyth with average costs of £405pcm for a 2 bed flat, £400pcm for a 2 bed house and £445pcm for a 3 bed house.
Every July the town holds a Summer Fair in and around the Market Place. The attractions include fairground rides, arts and crafts exhibitions and musical performances. There is always plenty to entertain the children. Similarly, the Christmas Fayre is also held in the same area.
Nightlife in Blyth is good with many pubs, bars and clubs including Nikhs and The Quay.
Many sports are catered for in Blyth and the Royal Northumberland Yacht Club’s headquarters are in the South Harbour. They offer crewing and sailing opportunities and are a Royal Yachting Association Training Centre.
Another of the town’s attractions is the High Light lighthouse this is one of Blyths oldest structures as the first structure was built in 1788. It was deactivated in 1985 and made a Grade II listed building in 1987.
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