Sailors Trods

[fmttmadmin]

Smell of Water blog about sailors trods - rights of way through Middlesbrough -
In the early days of modern Middlesbrough the ports of Cargo Fleet and Newport were linked by footpaths known as Sailor’s Trods, the routes of which were captured on early maps of the town.
SMELL OF WATER

 

[Lemmy_kilmister]

Well me father often told me when I was just a lad
A sailor's life was very hard, the food was always bad
But now I've joined the navy, I'm aboard a man-o-war
And now I've found a sailor ain't a sailor any more
Don't haul on the rope, don't climb up the mast
If you see a sailing ship it might be your last
Just get your civvies ready for another run ashore
A sailor ain't a sailor, ain't a sailor anymore

Well the killick of our mess he says we've had it soft
It wasn't like this in his day when he was up aloft
We like our bunks and sleeping bags, but what's a hammock for?
Swinging from the deckhead, or lying on the floor?

Well they gave us an engine that first went up and down
Then with more technology the engine went around
We know our steam and diesel but what's a mainyard for?
A stoker ain't a stoker with a shovel anymore.

Well they gave us Aldis lamp so we could do it right
They gave us a radio, and we signalled day and night
We know our codes and cyphers but what's a semaphore?
A bunting-tosser doesn't toss the bunting anymore

Two cans of beer a day and that's your bleeding lot
Now we get an extra one because they've stopped the tot
So we'll put on our civvy clothes and find a pub ashore
A sailor's still a sailor just like he was before

 

[fmttmadmin]

That is great Lemmy..
Smell of Water is the Black Path next Thursday - a famous trod if every there was one.

 

[Keelo]

I've trod and tripped from the Junction pub to Eston Jetty a few times back in the day when I was at sea

 

[Barnsy]

The Black Path which starts adjacent to the Navigation is often referred to as the Sailors Trod.

 

[fmttmadmin]

Yes, that is right - which is why Smell of Water will be talking about Black Path next week as a follow up.
What these trods remind us is that land was private before the right to roam in the 20th century - you couldn't just walk anywhere - sailors going to Cargo Fleet or Newport had to go along long accepted paths and as Middlesbrough grew that land became fenced off and housed and so the trods moved.
Even Albert Park being opened meant that the trod had to move to a parallel route - where Park Lane is now. The surviving part of this path is next to Longlands Club.
The route through Albert Park (before it moved) is still marked by hawthorns. One hawthorn has some iron works slag trapped between two branches and the tradition is that messages were posted here from sailors port bound leaving a final message for their sweethearts.