The Lower Ouseburn Valley

Exploring Hadrian’s Way
The Lower Ouseburn
Valley & Jesmond Vale
Up to 4 1/2 miles / 7km
Newcastle’s Historic Valley
In terms of its history, the
Ouseburn Valley is one of the
gems of northern England.
Along the steep valley sides you
will find evidence of the
industries for which Newcastle
was famous even before the
days of railways and
shipbuilding. Lead products,
ironware, glass, pottery, lime and
soaps were all manufactured
along the Ouseburn.
The Lower Ouseburn is tidal up
to Crawford’s Bridge, and so
small boats could transfer their
cargoes directly to and from the
warehouses which lined the
river. Most of these industries
used the river as a drain to carry
away their waste products.
Because of this pollution, 200
years ago the Lower Ouseburn
Valley would not have been a
healthy place to live and work.
However, many people did live in
the Lower Ouseburn. In the 19th
century terraced streets clung to
the valley sides and houses
clustered along the river itself.
Many of these survived until the
1960s when much of the area
was cleared for redevelopment.
Front cover: Lower Ouseburn – Ad Infinitum
Bridges over Bridges
The River Tyne is renowned for
its bridges, but the Ouseburn
Valley has some magnificent
examples of its own. The Lower
Valley is dominated by three
huge structures.
The Ouseburn Viaduct carries
the railway and was originally
built partly of timber. It was later
widened and rebuilt in cast-iron.
The Byker Road Bridge is
supported on impressive brickarched
piers. It was originally
used to carry the tram-lines from
the city out to Byker and beyond
and now carries cars.
The Metro Bridge, 4 opened 20
years ago, has a box concrete
construction which is immensely
strong but relatively light.
Crawford’s Bridge 4 sits
beneath these huge structures.
It was built in the18th century
and is now one of the oldest
bridges in Newcastle.
At the mouth of the Ouseburn is
Glasshouse Bridge. An earlier
packhouse bridge was
demolished when the Quayside
Railway was extended in 1908.
Based upon the 2000 Ordnance Survey map
with permission of the Controller of H.M.S.O
Crown Copyright Reserved LA 076244
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A1 WESTERN BY-PASS
Location of walk
Discover one of Newcastle’s
lesser known corners on this
varied and fascinating 41/2 mile /
7 km walk in the Lower
Ouseburn Valley. From the
colourful boats at the mouth of
the Ouseburn to the quiet
tranquillity of Jesmond Vale, this
is a walk with something for
everyone.
The route can be joined at any
point and can be followed in
either direction.
Frequent bus services run to
Byker Bridge and Benton Bank,
and the walk can also be
reached from the Metro stations
at Manors and Byker.
Designated parking areas are
indicated on the map.
Victoria Tunnel
A186 WEST ROAD
A191
Gosforth
TOWN
MOOR
A167
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In 1839 work started on a tunnel
that would carry coal from the
Spital Tongues colliery in the
North West of Newcastle, down
to the river Tyne. The tunnel was
built to avoid coal being
transported through the busy
city streets.
Victoria Tunnel was opened in
1842. It was 2 miles long and the
total descent of the tunnel from
the colliery to the Tyne was
68m/222ft.
The tunnel was an efficient way
of transporting coal. Wagons
travelled down to the Tyne under
the force of gravity and a steam
engine at the colliery pulled the
empty trucks back up to Spital
Tongues.
The tunnel was closed in 1860.
During the Second World War
the tunnel was reopened as an
air-raid shelter.
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Contact details:
Traveline
Tel: 0870 608 2608
www.traveline.org.uk
Hadrian's Wall Information Line
Tel: 01434 322002
www.hadrians-wall.org
Newcastle Tourist
Information Centre
Tel: 0191 2778000
To give feedback on these &
other strategic routes in and
around Newcastle,
please contact:
John Robertson,
Newcastle City Council
Planning & Transportation
Tel: 0191 232 8520
A Lost Village
The old village of Jesmond Vale
used to sit amongst fields in the
bottom of the Ouseburn Valley, a
tranquil haven away from the
bustle of the city.
The village had three pubs, a
farm and a mill beside the river.
The remains of the mill 5 can
still be seen, and the leat which
fed it can be traced back to the
mill dam at Greenwater Pool 6 .
Originally a corn mill, it was later
adapted to grind flint for use as
glaze in the pottery industry. Flint
was brought into the Tyne as
ballast on cargo ships and was
then carted up to the mills on the
Ouseburn, hence Ballast Hills 7 .
The bulk of the old village was
demolished in the 1960’s when
the Vale was earmarked for
redevelopment. Of the three
pubs only the Bluebell Inn
survived.
Designed by Ad Infinitum, Rothbury. Published by Newcastle City Council © 2002
GREAT NORTH ROAD
ST. JAMES’
PARK
Newcastle
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Jesmond
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A191
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Heaton
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A1058 COAST ROAD
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The Lower Ouseburn Valley & Jesmond Vale 41/2 miles / 7km Suggested starting point: Quayside/Glasshouse
Bridge or Cradlewell
Scale of map
Kilometres
Miles
This walk can be linked with the
Jesmond Dene route Lord
Armstrong’s Back Garden to make
a circular walk of 6 1 /2 miles / 11km.
Gradients
Glasshouse
Bridge City Stadium
Coulson’s
Armstrong
Bridge
Statue
Jesmond Vale
2 3
1
4
5
Kilometres
Miles
1
2 3
1 2
0.5
6 Former site of mill dam at Greenwater Pool
5 The remains of the Jesmond Vale flint
mill can be seen here. Flint was brought
into the Tyne as ballast on ships, and
was ground in the mill for use as glaze
in the pottery industry.
Picture: Ad Infinitum
Picture: Newcastle City Council
Picture: Newcastle City Libraries
2
Colonel Coulson’s
statue (originally
erected 1914) has
two fountains, one
for humans & the
other for animals.
1
4
200 years of bridging
the Ouseburn – Byker
Metro Bridge towers
over the 18th century
Crawford’s Bridge.
Glasshouse Bridges old and new – the former
packhouse bridge in the 19th century, and the
river mouth as it is today.
Picture: Newcastle City Council
WARWICK ST.
Heaton
Park
6
DINSDALE RD.
NEWINGTON RD.
Jesmond
Vale
SPRINGBANK RD.
CHELMSFORD RD.
City
Stadium
••• • ••••• • •• • •••••••• ••• ••
• • • ••
•• • •• • • •• • • • •
Seven Stories
the Center for
The Childrens Book
CRADLEWELL BYPASS
1/2
River Tyne
4 5 6 7
3 4
•••••
Glasshouse
City Stadium Bridge
Lower
Ouseburn
7
5
METRO BRIDGE
STRATFORD GR. W.
CITY ROAD
4
HORATIO ST.
Armstrong
Bridge
BENTON BANK
HOTSPUR ST.
NEWINGTON RD.
BYKER BRIDGE
LIME ST.
BYKER
FARM
THE
CLUNY
BLUE BELL
PUB
VIADUCT
CUT BANK
3
Links to the North/
City Orbital
SCHOOL
•••••••• ••••••••• • • • • ••
OUSE ST.
2
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FOUNDRY LANE
VICTORIA
TUNNEL
LANSDOWNE GARDENS
JESMOND VAL E
GLASSHOUSE
BRIDGE
•• • • • • •• •• ••
6
• • • •
• • •• • • •• • • • • • •
• • • • •• • •• •
Armstrong
Park
Heaton
Park
• • • • •• • • • •• • •• ••• • • ••• • • • •• • ••••
BYKER BANK
HUME ST.
A1058
A
FORD ST.
O USEB URN RD.
ok
MALING ST.
1
OUSEBURN RD.
BENTON BANK
BRIDGE
CITY ROAD
TYNE
PUB
OUSEBURN
WATER
SPORTS
A186
8
A1058 COAST ROAD
•• • • • • • •
N
W E
3 The Sailor’s Bethel was a Danish
Seaman’s Church & was renovated
in 1992 to be used as offices.
7
HEATON PARK VIEW
HORATIO ST.
WALKER ROAD
LIME ST.
River Tyne
3
Picture: Newcastle Document Services
S
CUT BANK
7
This leaflet can be used in
conjunction with Ordnance
Survey Explorer Map 316
Newcastle Upon Tyne
Close to the east entrance of
Heaton Park, once part of the Ridley
family’s Heaton Estate, a temple
like building was constructed and
presented to Sir Matthew White
Ridley by his tenants & admirers.
OUSE ST.
VICTORIA
TUNNEL
2
LANE
••••• • • • • ••
BYKER BANK
HUME ST.
GLASSHOUS
E
8 Ballast from sailing ships was
dumped here at Ballast Hills. The
area later became a non-conformist
burial ground, and many of the
gravestones have been used to flag
the paths.
Key to map
A
FORD ST.
MALING ST.
1
TYNE
PUB
OUSEBURN
WATER
SPORTS
A186
Main route
Alternative route
(welly walk)
Alternative route
Hadrian’s Way
Slope
Steps
Parking
Information Board
Public Art
8