Palmer shipyard brought much-needed work to Jarrow. With the transport system being most irregular it followed that his workforce must live nearby. The photograph below shows Palmer Street where some of his workers lived.
Transport links into Jarrow during this time were very poor realizing this and the need for his workers to be within reliable distance of his shipyard he commissioned the building of houses close by. Below is just one of many.
These types of terraced houses shown in the photo were built in the early part of the twentieth century and could be found throughout Jarrow. It made for perfect accommodation here in this type of accommodation most all of Palmer’s 10,000 plus workforce lived.
Poorly lit and cramped terraced houses like these could be found throughout Jarrow. Come the 50s and 60s would see them demolished to be replaced by modern dwellings of the time. In the distance, you can see the Hill Street railway bridge. Being a very low bridge many new double-decker bus drivers in later years were to take the wrong route resulting in the loss of the bus’s roof.
The above photos are the same view many years later. On the left is a modern council estate. To the right, the houses built to accommodate Palmer’s workers have since been demolished. The trees lining the right-hand side of the roadway have been allowed to grow and act as a useful screen blotting out a new industrial estate to the right of the photograph.
In the distance can be seen Hill Street Railway Bridge, that particular eyesore has never changed (my personal opinion) and is no different now than it was in Palmer’s days. even today an occasional double-decker bus has lost its roof because the driver has been unfamiliar with the route.
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