Tag: George Stephenson

Wylam Railway Museum

Wylam Railway Museum was opened in 1981 coinciding with the bicentenary of the birth of Wylam’s most famous son George Stephenson (1781-1848), known as the Father of Railways.

This tiny museum is housed in a former classroom of the old Wylam Primary School. It shares the building with the village library.

The museum may be small but it is packed with interesting railway artefacts and exhibits.

There is a wall chart displaying obscure trivia about the history of the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway, the first railway to be built across Britain . For example you may not have heard of station clerk Thomas Edmondson who invented a system of cardboard tickets which became the standard used around the world.

Then there was the Sabbatarian Reverend W C Burns who authored this poster threatening eternal damnation to anyone who took a train trip on a Sunday. Perhaps he foresaw that most of his hard working parishioners would sooner spend their one day off per week quaffing ale in a pub in the North Pennines rather than listen to his dreary sermons.

Exhibits focus on the contribution of local railway pioneers such as George Stephenson, William Hedley, Timothy Hackworth and Nicholas Wood.

There are models of Wylam Station, North Wylam Station and Wylam Railway Bridge.

Puffing Billy

There are also large scale models of two famous locomotives, Puffing Billy and Wylam Dilly, which were in use at Wylam Colliery to haul coal wagons in the early 1800s.

There are a lot of old photographs, maps and vintage railway posters on display.

Opening Times & Admission Charges

The museum is open during library opening hours:

Tuesday 1 – 6 pm
Thursday 1 – 6 pm
Saturday 9 am to 12 noon

Ticket Prices

Entrance is free.

How To Get to Wylam Railway Museum

The location of the museum can be found on this map:

Address:

Wylam Railway Museum
The Falcon Centre
Falcon Terrace
Wylam
NE41 8EE

GPS:

54°58’37.2″N 1°49’04.1″W
54.977003, -1.817793

Plus Code: X5GJ+RV Wylam

Tel:
Wylam Parish Council 01661 852498
Wylam Library 01661 852174

Nearby

George Stephenson’s Cottage
Wylam Railway Bridge
Prudhoe Castle

Find more Northumberland attractions here.

Wylam to Newburn Walk – River Tyne Trail

This Wylam to Newburn Walk is a 2.9 mile (one-way) section of the Daft As A Brush trail.

This is a pleasant, easy walk with various points of historical interest, especially for those interested in railways.

Please note I am not providing detailed maps or instructions of the route. You will find all that in Daft As A Brush’s book. You can buy a copy here with proceeds going to support the charity’s good works.

Start Point

Wylam Car Park

End Point

Tyne Riverside Country Park. There is plenty of free parking here.

Highlights

It is well worth popping into the Wylam Railway Museum. It is small but packed with interesting exhibits relating to the development of railways in the region and in particular the role of famous railway pioneer George Stephenson who was born here in 1781.

The first part of the walk from Wylam follows the route of the old Wylam Waggonway, a horse-drawn method of transport built in 1748 for transporting coal, originally along wooden rails and later on iron rails. The waggonway was replaced by a railway line in 1876 linking Wylam to Newburn and Scotswood. After the railway closed in 1968 the track was removed and the Waggonway became a public bridleway.

This charming whitewashed cottage was George Stephenson’s birthplace, now owned by the National Trust. He and his family lived here until he was eight, sharing with three other families. Seeing the horse-drawn coal wagons passing in front of his window may well have triggered his interest in developing steam powered locomotives.

From here the River Tyne Trail runs close to the riverbank passing through Calaminarian grassland, a habitat where rare wild plants have adapted to survive on soils rich in toxic heavy metals left over from mining activities.

There used to be many ferry crossings on the Tyne and this Ferryman’s Cottage on the opposite bank marks the spot of the Ryton Ferry.

A blob of outdoor art on the riverbank at Newburn.

You might want to end your walk with refreshment at the Keelman Pub and Big Lamp Brewery which is housed in the former Newburn Water Pumping Station, built in 1854.

Nearby Attractions

Wylam Railway Museum
Wylam Station

You can read more of my Daft As A Brush Trail walks here.

Newburn to Scotswood Walk – River Tyne Trail

This Newburn to Scotswood Walk is a 2.9 mile (one-way) section of the Daft As A Brush trail.

This may not be the most scenic stretch of the the River Tyne Trail passing as it does though an industrial and business park but nevertheless there are some points of interest. I even saw a seal here!

Please note I am not providing detailed maps or instructions of the route. You will find all that in Daft As A Brush’s book. You can buy a copy here with proceeds going to support the charity’s good works.

Start Point

Tyne Riverside Country Park. There is plenty of free parking here.

End Point

B&Q Newcastle-Scotswood.

Highlights

On the riverbank next to the car park is the site of the Battle of Newburn Ford between the the Scots and English in 1640. Before the Tyne was canalised in the late 19th century it was possible to cross the river here at low tide and if the Scots could break the English defences here they could cross the river and attack Newcastle from the less well-defended south side. They succeeded in doing so and entered Newcastle in triumph on 30th August 1640. King Charles I had to pay a ransom of £200,000 to the Scots to get the city back.

On both sides of the river here are boathouses for various rowing clubs; Tyne Amateur Rowing Club, Tyne United Rowing Club and Newcastle University Boat Club.

The logo for the Tyne Amateur Rowing Club (founded in 1852) features an image of the River God Tyne. The three strands of his beard represent the three sections of the river – River North Tyne, River South Tyne and River Tyne.

The sign of the nearby Boathouse pub (which was closed and boarded up) depicts a coxed four competitive rowing team. The wall of the pub bears inscriptions marking the high water levels reached in historic flooding events including the Great Flood of 1771 when the whole ground floor would have been under water.

A blue plaque on the same building records that from 1798 to 1801 George Stephenson was in charge of Robert Hawthorn’s new pumping engine at Water Row Pit, where George’s father, Robert was fireman. The old cottages at Water Row were demolished in the 1930s as part of slum clearance and only the Boathouse remains.

From here the River Tyne Trail passes through a rather dreary industrial estate, including a Warburtons bread factory before emerging onto a riverfront embankment walkway called Newburn Riverside.

I was surprised to see a seal wallowing in the mud here. I didn’t know they venture this far upriver (maybe 15 miles from the sea).

Nearby Attractions

Lemington Glass Works Cone (now a showroom for Stanegate Stoves)
Newburn Motor Museum

You can read more of my Daft As A Brush Trail walks here.