The Mines of Wylam (11th May 2017)

11th May 2017
Wylam
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If you would like to support me, I am raising money for surgery in Spain:
gofund.me/045d...
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I go for a stroll around Wylam seeking out some of the former pits that I know about. I am not a historian so I may have some things wrong and some of the locations are approximations based on old maps. Similarly, my family history overlaps many of the sites... you won't believe how much family history I cut out of this video... just can't help talking about it.
For my branch of the family, Wylam is considered our ancestral home because my paternal line has been living there for nearly 250 years. Although I no longer live in the village, many of my family still do.
These are all sites that I am very familiar with and have visited many many times in the past.
I hope you enjoy.
Approximation of my route (I added a few extra miles on because I had other family business to do in Wylam):
gb.mapometer.c...
I didn't actually explain who Timothy Hackworth was... He was one of the 4 men who designed Puffing Billy (the oldest surviving steam train in the world - now located in the Science Discovery museum in London) and helped come up with the idea of using metal rails to support the weight of the steam train... thus inventing the modern railway. The other men involved were Christopher Blackett, William Hedley and the one that always gets written out of history was Jonathon Forster.
Additions from my family after they watched the video:
The bit of brick wall on rift mine that I wasn't sure about whether it belonged to the mine or the cottages belonged to the mine. There was originally a second brick wall running parallel and it formed the foundation for an iron and wooden structure that held the winding wheel. There was some confusion about the cottages because I was describing them above the pit meaning above the hill. Just to clear up that confusion, the cottages were south of the pit. The coal from this mine along with the coal from the second mine on the other side of Rift Farm were both processed at Anne pit.
The pill box was housed by Poles but they lived in separate accommodation and they also manned a search light for spotting bombers coming up the Tyne.
The wooden structure that I spotted where the Bell mine buildings were located belonged to a some sheds that were used by the farm for storing horse drawn farming equipment, quite possibly taken over by the farm after the mine closed.
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[@jonathanhall7815]

My mother was born and grew up there. I have fond memories of visiting my grandparents there as a child.

[@MarkBrimPhoto]

Class bit of history. I've walked a bunch around there, had no idea of the old mine locations next to the old river/bridge

[@northeastpyro8796]

Theres a area in the trees half way to newburn where the farm is. Theres buildings tunnels big wheels. Your not suppost to go there but I've been there many times private property I think.

[@georgeedwardscott8161]

tunnels? for what? to where? very interesting.