West Moor
Encyclopedia
West Moor is a small place in Tyne and Wear
, UK
.
West Moor began as a colliery village around the beginning of the nineteenth century. It was so-called because it lies to the west of the ancient Killingworth Moor
, which has now disappeared under development. It was at the colliery here in 1804 that George Stephenson
started work as a brakeman. Rather than a village, West Moor might nowadays best be described as a suburb of Newcastle upon Tyne; it is close to Killingworth, Forest Hall
, Longbenton
and Gosforth Park
.
West Moor contains a primary school - its middle school was closed down in 2000 - several shops and a pub
, the George Stephenson Inn. Trains on the East Coast Main Line
run through West Moor over a railway bridge.
became an assistant to his father and later followed in his footsteps to become the engineman at Killingworth colliery
. It was there that Stephenson developed one of the earliest locomotive
s, called the Blücher
, which ran on the Killingworth colliery railway in 1814. It was capable of pulling 30 tons up a grade at 4 miles per hour. He also convinced the mine manager to experiment with steam locomotion, and over the next several years Stephenson had built a further 16 engines at Killingworth.
While developing the Blücher, Stephenson lived in "Dial Cottage", which still stands on the Great Lime Road in West Moor, south of Killingworth. When George moved in the cottage consisted of one room and a garret reached by a ladder. By the time he left he had extended and converted the premises to become a comfortable four-roomed house. The cottage has a sundial
, made by Stephenson himself, and a plaque above the door which reads
Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear is a metropolitan county in north east England around the mouths of the Rivers Tyne and Wear. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
West Moor began as a colliery village around the beginning of the nineteenth century. It was so-called because it lies to the west of the ancient Killingworth Moor
Town Moor, Newcastle upon Tyne
The Town Moor is a large area of common land in Newcastle upon Tyne. It covers an area of around 400ha, and is larger than Hyde Park and Hampstead Heath combined, stretching from the city centre and Spital Tongues in the south out to Cowgate/Kenton Bar to the west, Gosforth to the north and...
, which has now disappeared under development. It was at the colliery here in 1804 that George Stephenson
George Stephenson
George Stephenson was an English civil engineer and mechanical engineer who built the first public railway line in the world to use steam locomotives...
started work as a brakeman. Rather than a village, West Moor might nowadays best be described as a suburb of Newcastle upon Tyne; it is close to Killingworth, Forest Hall
Forest Hall
Forest Hall is a village east of Benton in North Tyneside in the north of England.-Facilities:There are pubs, social clubs and a shopping centre with a variety of shops, take away food outlets and two restaurants. It has two supermarkets. One is Sainsbury's Local, which opened in November 2007...
, Longbenton
Longbenton
Longbenton is a district of North Tyneside, England. It is largely occupied by an extensive estate originally built as municipal housing by Newcastle City Council in the 1950s and 1960s. It is served by the Tyne and Wear Metro stations Longbenton Metro station and Four Lane Ends Metro Station...
and Gosforth Park
Gosforth Park
Gosforth Park is a park north of Gosforth in the borough of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It houses Newcastle Racecourse, a Marriott hotel, two golf courses, a garden centre and a football centre....
.
West Moor contains a primary school - its middle school was closed down in 2000 - several shops and a pub
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
, the George Stephenson Inn. Trains on the East Coast Main Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
run through West Moor over a railway bridge.
George Stephenson's Dial Cottage
George StephensonGeorge Stephenson
George Stephenson was an English civil engineer and mechanical engineer who built the first public railway line in the world to use steam locomotives...
became an assistant to his father and later followed in his footsteps to become the engineman at Killingworth colliery
Killingworth
Killingworth, formerly Killingworth Township, is a town north of Newcastle Upon Tyne, in North Tyneside, United Kingdom.Built as a planned town in the 1960s, most of Killingworth's residents commute to Newcastle, or the city's surrounding area. However, Killingworth itself has a sizeable...
. It was there that Stephenson developed one of the earliest locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
s, called the Blücher
Blücher (locomotive)
Blücher was an early railway locomotive built in 1814 by George Stephenson for Killingworth Colliery. It was the first of a series of locomotives that he designed in the period 1814-16 which established his reputation as an engine designer and laid the foundations for his subsequent pivotal role in...
, which ran on the Killingworth colliery railway in 1814. It was capable of pulling 30 tons up a grade at 4 miles per hour. He also convinced the mine manager to experiment with steam locomotion, and over the next several years Stephenson had built a further 16 engines at Killingworth.
While developing the Blücher, Stephenson lived in "Dial Cottage", which still stands on the Great Lime Road in West Moor, south of Killingworth. When George moved in the cottage consisted of one room and a garret reached by a ladder. By the time he left he had extended and converted the premises to become a comfortable four-roomed house. The cottage has a sundial
Sundial
A sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. In common designs such as the horizontal sundial, the sun casts a shadow from its style onto a surface marked with lines indicating the hours of the day. The style is the time-telling edge of the gnomon, often a thin rod or a...
, made by Stephenson himself, and a plaque above the door which reads