Walbottle Moor Waggonway is known to have been in operation from 1769. This Waggonway ran from old pits north of Hexham Road past the location of Duke Pit in Walbottle down to coal staiths on the River Tyne at Lemington. The network is one of the last surviving examples of an 18th century waggonway to survive in Newcastle.
The system was still in use in 1860, using horses and employing 50 keelmen at the riverside staiths for transport down river.
This now disused network provides the village of Walbottle with picturesque paths allowing easy access to the surrounding countryside. These waggonways also have historic importance due to their connection with railway pioneer George Stephenson, who as a boy worked as a fireman and horse driver on them.
Walbottle Village Conservation Area Character Statement & Management Plan, Newcastle City Council.
Heddon on the Wall Local History Society blog:
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