Old Blyth - Stenlake

When Blyth gained its Royal Charter in 1922 it adopted the motto 'We Grow by Industry', which was not just aspirational, it was also a good description of how the burgh had got to be where it was. The Blyth name was initially just that of the river, which provided shelter for boats, but it was a difficult harbour to get in and out of, so activity was limited. Although natural forces restricted shipping, they conversely provided outcropping coal and seawater, the main ingredients of a thriving salt industry. Fishing, an occupation that benefitted from a supply of salt, was another early industry, but while these activites were destined to decline, another grew in their place:coal mining.