Victoria Tunnel (Newcastle)
Encyclopedia
The Victoria Tunnel is a subterranean wagonway
that runs under Newcastle upon Tyne
, England
from the Town Moor down to the River Tyne
. It was built between 1839-42 to transport coal
from Leazes Main Colliery in Spital Tongues
to riverside staithes
(jetties) ready for loading onto boats for export.
The tunnel was driven through boulder clay and formed by a base course of stone supporting a brick arch. Loaded wagons descended the incline of the tunnel under their own weight, and were rope-hauled back to the colliery
by a stationary engine. The Colliery closed in January 1860 and the Tunnel was abandoned until the start of the Second World War
In 1939-40 the tunnel was converted for use as an air raid shelter
with wooden benches and bunks installed, as well as chemical toilets, anti-blast baffles, lime washed walls and a number of new entrances.
The tunnel is 2.4 miles (3.9 km) in length with a maximum depth of 85 feet (26 m) and drops 222 feet (68 m) from entrance to exit. It remains largely intact.
colliery was one of many coal mines
around Newcastle. The Industrial Revolution
was in full steam: demand for coal was high and the competition was great.
Initially, the coal
was carried on carts from the colliery through the streets of Newcastle upon Tyne
to the river, ready for shipping. This was slow and expensive because of the road taxes. Porter and Latimer, the colliery owners, therefore employed a local engineer, William E. Gilhespie, to construct an underground wagonway
.
. It was officially opened by the Mayor of Newcastle on the 7 April 1842. A crowd of spectators including the sheriff and important merchants gathered on the quayside and at 1pm cannons were fired as a train of eight wagons appeared out of the tunnel. Four of the wagons contained coal, and the others a “company of ladies and gentlemen and a band of musicians”!
Having taken two and a half years to build, the Tunnel was in use for just eighteen years.
” and protect themselves from bombs dropped by the German Luftwaffe
. In Newcastle, the city engineer developed plans to convert the Victoria Tunnel into a communal air raid shelter
for 9000 people.
Seven new entrances were completed: Claremont Road, Hancock Museum, St Thomas’ Churchyard, Ridley Place, Shieldfield Green, Crawhall Road, and Ouse Street. At Ouse Street it was possible to walk straight into the tunnel, but the other access points looked like subway entrances and involved walking down a steep corridor.
” from up above.
1842 Construction finishes and the tunnel is opened with a cannon salute and a party for the workers in the Bigg Market.
1860 The pit closes, the equipment is sold and the tunnel is forgotten about.
1878 The river end of the Victoria Tunnel is demolished when the Glass House Bridge is built.
1928 Gateshead entrepreneur Thomas Moore establishes the Victoria Tunnel Mushroom Company. He tries to farm mushrooms in the river end of the tunnel, but the business fails to grow and closes the following year.
1939 War breaks out and the tunnel is outfitted as an air raid shelter: several new entrances are built; bunk beds, benches, electric lighting, and chemical toilets are installed to make it more comfortable; and blast walls are erected inside the Tunnel to make it safe.
1945 The war ends and all the entrances except this one are blocked up. The tunnel is again left in darkness.
1954 The tunnel is considered as a potential nuclear shelter and plans are made to re-open the WWII entrances.
1976 Part of the tunnel is converted into a sewer
running from Ellison Place to Queen Victoria Road.
2006 Newcastle City Council secures Heritage Lottery and Single Programme funding to restore the tunnel and open it to the public.
colliery near Hunters Road. It still exists under Claremont Road, and runs past the Hancock Museum
, then close to the Civic Centre and St Mary's Place. From here it travels under Northumbria University City Campus
, the Central Motorway and Shieldfield to St Dominic’s Church on the corner of Crawhall Road and New Bridge Street. It then continues under St Ann's Estate to an entrance on Ouse Street. The section of Tunnel that continued from here to the River Tyne
was demolished in 1878.
Original length: 2.25 miles (4 km)
Original height: 7 feet 5 inches (2.3m)
Original width: 6 feet 3 inches (1.9m)
Drop: 222 feet (68 m)
Deepest point: 85 feet (26 m)
Length accessible today: 766 yard
is still accessible via a WWII entrance on Ouse Street. A programme of visits was first established by the Ouseburn Partnership in 1998. After a period of closure in 2006, the City Council carried out a programme of structural repairs and public safety measures, in addition to the installation of heritage signage, audio presentations and an exciting interactive audio visual artwork by international artist Adinda van 't Klooster and engineered by Electrosonic. The repair programme was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund
and Tyne & Wear Partnership. The Victoria Tunnel Education Project has developed a number of resources about the tunnel and will be organising public tours and school workshops from 2009.
Wagonway
Wagonways consisted of the horses, equipment and tracks used for hauling wagons, which preceded steam powered railways. The terms "plateway", "tramway" and in someplaces, "dramway" are also found.- Early developments :...
that runs under Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
from the Town Moor down to the River Tyne
River Tyne
The River Tyne is a river in North East England in Great Britain. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers: the North Tyne and the South Tyne. These two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.The North Tyne rises on the...
. It was built between 1839-42 to transport coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
from Leazes Main Colliery in Spital Tongues
Spital Tongues
Spital Tongues is a historic area of Newcastle upon Tyne, located north west of the city centre.Its unusual name is believed to be derived from 'spital' – a corruption of the word 'hospital' that is quite commonly found in UK place names - and 'tongues', meaning outlying pieces of land...
to riverside staithes
Wharf
A wharf or quay is a structure on the shore of a harbor where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers.Such a structure includes one or more berths , and may also include piers, warehouses, or other facilities necessary for handling the ships.A wharf commonly comprises a fixed...
(jetties) ready for loading onto boats for export.
The tunnel was driven through boulder clay and formed by a base course of stone supporting a brick arch. Loaded wagons descended the incline of the tunnel under their own weight, and were rope-hauled back to the colliery
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
by a stationary engine. The Colliery closed in January 1860 and the Tunnel was abandoned until the start of the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
In 1939-40 the tunnel was converted for use as an air raid shelter
Air-raid shelter
Air-raid shelters, also known as bomb shelters, are structures for the protection of the civil population as well as military personnel against enemy attacks from the air...
with wooden benches and bunks installed, as well as chemical toilets, anti-blast baffles, lime washed walls and a number of new entrances.
The tunnel is 2.4 miles (3.9 km) in length with a maximum depth of 85 feet (26 m) and drops 222 feet (68 m) from entrance to exit. It remains largely intact.
Victorian wagonway
When it opened in 1835, the Leazes Main or Spital TonguesSpital Tongues
Spital Tongues is a historic area of Newcastle upon Tyne, located north west of the city centre.Its unusual name is believed to be derived from 'spital' – a corruption of the word 'hospital' that is quite commonly found in UK place names - and 'tongues', meaning outlying pieces of land...
colliery was one of many coal mines
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
around Newcastle. The Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
was in full steam: demand for coal was high and the competition was great.
Initially, the coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
was carried on carts from the colliery through the streets of Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
to the river, ready for shipping. This was slow and expensive because of the road taxes. Porter and Latimer, the colliery owners, therefore employed a local engineer, William E. Gilhespie, to construct an underground wagonway
Wagonway
Wagonways consisted of the horses, equipment and tracks used for hauling wagons, which preceded steam powered railways. The terms "plateway", "tramway" and in someplaces, "dramway" are also found.- Early developments :...
.
Construction
Permission to build the tunnel was granted in 1838 and work started the following year. The tunnel was probably dug in sections. The engineers would have excavated a shaft down to the right level then tunnelled out to link up with the next section. John Cherry was appointed to manage the tunnelling, he was a former Yorkshire Lead Miner who had previoulsy been employed as a miner at the Leazes Main Colliery. Building works were carried out by the firm of Mr David Nixon, a builder of Prudhoe Street, Newcastle upon Tyne. Some 200 workers were employed in the construction of the Tunnel and Thomas Fordyce in his Local Records for January 8th 1841 reported 'The workmen, to the number of two hundred, were regaled with a substantial supper and strong ale, supplied by Mrs. Dixon, the worthy hostess of the Unicorn Inn, Bigg-market, Newcastle. The Albion band attended, and enlivened the joyous occasion with their music'. The walls of the tunnel were lined in stone, and a double brick arch supported the roof. It is approximately 7 ft 5 in (2.3m) high and 6 ft 3 in (1.9m) wide. This was just large enough to accommodate the custom-built chaldron wagons.Transporting the coal
Because of the gradual gradient of the tunnel, loaded wagons were able to roll along a standard gauge rail track down to the river. A rope was tied to the last wagon in the train and a stationary steam engine at the top of the tunnel hauled the empty wagons back up to the pithead.Grand opening
The Victoria Tunnel was named after the popular, young Queen VictoriaVictoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
. It was officially opened by the Mayor of Newcastle on the 7 April 1842. A crowd of spectators including the sheriff and important merchants gathered on the quayside and at 1pm cannons were fired as a train of eight wagons appeared out of the tunnel. Four of the wagons contained coal, and the others a “company of ladies and gentlemen and a band of musicians”!
Pit closure
The Victoria Tunnel was a financial success: it reduced the cost of transporting coal from the pit to the river by 88%. The colliery, however was not a success and closed in 1860.Having taken two and a half years to build, the Tunnel was in use for just eighteen years.
Air raid shelter
In 1939, Britain prepared for war. People were instructed to practise “Air Raid PrecautionsAir Raid Precautions
Air Raid Precautions was an organisation in the United Kingdom set up as an aid in the prelude to the Second World War dedicated to the protection of civilians from the danger of air-raids. It was created in 1924 as a response to the fears about the growing threat from the development of bomber...
” and protect themselves from bombs dropped by the German Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
. In Newcastle, the city engineer developed plans to convert the Victoria Tunnel into a communal air raid shelter
Air-raid shelter
Air-raid shelters, also known as bomb shelters, are structures for the protection of the civil population as well as military personnel against enemy attacks from the air...
for 9000 people.
Converting the tunnel
It cost £37,000 to adapt the Tunnel into an air raid shelter. It was cleaned of coal dust and in some parts whitewashed. Several concrete blast walls were added to stop potential bomb debris flying along the tunnel. Electric lighting was fitted and a new concrete floor was laid. Wooden benches and about 500 bunk beds were installed along the walls, and chemical toilets enclosed in canvas cubicles were built near the entrances.Seven new entrances were completed: Claremont Road, Hancock Museum, St Thomas’ Churchyard, Ridley Place, Shieldfield Green, Crawhall Road, and Ouse Street. At Ouse Street it was possible to walk straight into the tunnel, but the other access points looked like subway entrances and involved walking down a steep corridor.
Sheltering in the tunnel
There is no doubt that the tunnel was a dark, damp, and uncomfortable place to shelter. Many people were afraid to use it. Those who did remember sitting with their families and neighbours, exchanging gossip and often singing songs while waiting nervously for the “all-clearAll-clear
An all-clear is a term used by civil defense or military authorities to inform others that an imminent physical danger has passed. This typically will end an alert or warning status that was previously issued...
” from up above.
After the war
At the end of the war, most of the fittings were removed and all of the entrances except Ouse Street were closed. This entrance had been built on private land: the garden of number 14 Ouse Street. Luckily it was left open and it is now possible to step into the Victoria Tunnel and explore Newcastle’s hidden heritage. Tours will be available from Spring 2009 via (http://www.newcastlecommunityheritage.org/victoriatunnel)Timeline
1838 Porter & Latimer, the owners of the Leazes Main Colliery are granted permission to build the tunnel. Work begins the following year.1842 Construction finishes and the tunnel is opened with a cannon salute and a party for the workers in the Bigg Market.
1860 The pit closes, the equipment is sold and the tunnel is forgotten about.
1878 The river end of the Victoria Tunnel is demolished when the Glass House Bridge is built.
1928 Gateshead entrepreneur Thomas Moore establishes the Victoria Tunnel Mushroom Company. He tries to farm mushrooms in the river end of the tunnel, but the business fails to grow and closes the following year.
1939 War breaks out and the tunnel is outfitted as an air raid shelter: several new entrances are built; bunk beds, benches, electric lighting, and chemical toilets are installed to make it more comfortable; and blast walls are erected inside the Tunnel to make it safe.
1945 The war ends and all the entrances except this one are blocked up. The tunnel is again left in darkness.
1954 The tunnel is considered as a potential nuclear shelter and plans are made to re-open the WWII entrances.
1976 Part of the tunnel is converted into a sewer
Sanitary sewer
A sanitary sewer is a separate underground carriage system specifically for transporting sewage from houses and commercial buildings to treatment or disposal. Sanitary sewers serving industrial areas also carry industrial wastewater...
running from Ellison Place to Queen Victoria Road.
2006 Newcastle City Council secures Heritage Lottery and Single Programme funding to restore the tunnel and open it to the public.
Route
The Victoria Tunnel originally ran from the site of the Spital TonguesSpital Tongues
Spital Tongues is a historic area of Newcastle upon Tyne, located north west of the city centre.Its unusual name is believed to be derived from 'spital' – a corruption of the word 'hospital' that is quite commonly found in UK place names - and 'tongues', meaning outlying pieces of land...
colliery near Hunters Road. It still exists under Claremont Road, and runs past the Hancock Museum
Hancock Museum
The Hancock Museum is a museum of natural history in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, established in 1884. In 2006 it merged with Newcastle University's Hatton Gallery to form the Great North Museum. The museum and all of its collections are owned by the Natural History Society of Northumbria,...
, then close to the Civic Centre and St Mary's Place. From here it travels under Northumbria University City Campus
Northumbria University
Northumbria University is an academic institution located in Newcastle upon Tyne in the North East of England. It is a member of the University Alliance.- History :...
, the Central Motorway and Shieldfield to St Dominic’s Church on the corner of Crawhall Road and New Bridge Street. It then continues under St Ann's Estate to an entrance on Ouse Street. The section of Tunnel that continued from here to the River Tyne
River Tyne
The River Tyne is a river in North East England in Great Britain. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers: the North Tyne and the South Tyne. These two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.The North Tyne rises on the...
was demolished in 1878.
Tunnel statistics
Date opened: 7th April 1842Original length: 2.25 miles (4 km)
Original height: 7 feet 5 inches (2.3m)
Original width: 6 feet 3 inches (1.9m)
Drop: 222 feet (68 m)
Deepest point: 85 feet (26 m)
Length accessible today: 766 yard
Restoration
A 766 yard section of the tunnel in the Ouseburn ValleyOuseburn Valley
The Ouseburn Valley was a heavily industrialised valley in the East end of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Since then the lower part of the valley has developed into a cultural oasis...
is still accessible via a WWII entrance on Ouse Street. A programme of visits was first established by the Ouseburn Partnership in 1998. After a period of closure in 2006, the City Council carried out a programme of structural repairs and public safety measures, in addition to the installation of heritage signage, audio presentations and an exciting interactive audio visual artwork by international artist Adinda van 't Klooster and engineered by Electrosonic. The repair programme was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund
Heritage Lottery Fund
The Heritage Lottery Fund is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage...
and Tyne & Wear Partnership. The Victoria Tunnel Education Project has developed a number of resources about the tunnel and will be organising public tours and school workshops from 2009.