Whitley Bay Police Box

[mikey]

Whitley Bay box in front of the Spanish City seems to have survived there until the late 70s at least.





When it comes to Police boxes, I can't say I'm terribly impressed with the design efforts of my home county of Northumberland.

[phillbarron]

I have a long running disagreement with my parents about the type of police box used in Monkseaton. They swear blind there was a TARDIS-style box between our house and school. I have no memory of this and feel that as a Doctor Who can I would have noticed!

This is the closest box (geographically speaking) I've seen to that one, so I'm claiming it as a victory!

[mikey]

You might be right given how close they are, almost certainly they would have had the same police force.

I had a quick look and the only box I can find is on Front Street at the corner of Coronation Avenue. Can't find any photos yet. A few irritatingly close though with the location of the box just out of shot.



Is that where they recall the box being? Seems all the others in Monkseatin where pillars.

[phillbarron]

I'm pretty certain that's the one they're talking about, although I wouldn't have walked past it on my way to to school (Monkseaton Middle School from Meadow Road).

Cheers for this though, I'll ask them if this is the one they're taking about.

EDIT: Yup, that's definitely the one they were talking about. They say it was blue and TARDIS-like ... I suspect that's a tangled memory.

[mikey]

Just a guess but I think these boxes date from the late 40s - late 50s and I think the pillars would be GPO ones of a similar date. So big blue and a bit Tardis like.

I would bet that (and with all respect to your parents) that the two have got mixed up in their memories.

The Monkseaton box really is the closest box to the Whitley Bay box. Just a 10 - 15 min walk and in a fairly straight line. So likely part of the same beat. The next two nearest boxes are up and down the coast. One in Cullercoats (Beverly Terrace) and the other in Whitley Bay on the Links opposite Marine Avenue. Both a 20 - 25 min walk from the Spanish City box.

[phillbarron]

I think so too. I was 10 when I left the North East. As a lifelong Doctor Who fan I'm fairly certain I would have remembered a TARDIS parked around the corner from my house.

I suspect they just remember seeing a Police Box sign and their brains have happily supplied them with a picture of a TARDIS.

One thing though - wouldn't a box at the end of Marine Avenue been almost right next to the Spanish City one?

[mikey]

You're right it was on the Links opposite Hastings Avenue. Don't know why I wrote Marine. I think I have been looking at old maps for too long.

[mikey]

@phillbarron I'm pleased to be able to share this picture of your childhood police box in Monkseaton!







Not a Trench box but pretty Tardis like.

[phillbarron]

@phillbarron I'm pleased to be able to share this picture of your childhood police box in Monkseaton!







Not a Trench box but pretty Tardis like.

Amazing! The important thing is I was right and my parents were wrong.

Thank you!

[mikey]

Nothing like winning an argument. I Didn't ever expect to see this one and interesting to see a different design.

[phillbarron]

Nothing like winning an argument. I Didn't ever expect to see this one and interesting to see a different design.

It's interesting how different it was to the Whitley Bay one.

Where did you find the photo?

[mikey]

I got it off Facebook.

It seems almost all early Northumberland boxes where exactly the same as Newcastle's. From the late 40s until the late 50s boxes in the area where upgraded at various times and they were not particular about keeping the design consistent.

The Whitley Bay box looks like a slightly better designed version of the box in Blyth.