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B6317 Newcastle Upon Tyne The Burn itself flows underground Even the archaeological structures provide shelter for wildlife including B6317 Grey Wagtail pipistrelle bats, which use the cracks in walls as roosting sites. through much of the site, emerging for River Tyne only short stretches. Despite Blaydon

Burn’s industrial past, the water itself is Some of the adjoining meadows P A695 have been re-seeded with A695 Blaydon Burn very clean, containing a variety of A694 invertebrates such as mayfly and wildflower meadow seed mixes. Blaydon NATURE RESERVE A1 freshwater shrimps. In turn, these These areas are grazed by cattle Blaydon to help the wildflowers and birds Burn creatures support birds such as dipper B6317 and grey wagtail. such as grey partridge and MetroCentre skylark to thrive. As part of the Blaydon Burn Project, the A694 Axwell ponds have been restored and Winlaton Park B6317 improved to control the level of water and encourage wildlife. The wetlands Common Pipistrelle Bat Dipper are proving particularly attractive for a Winlaton range of animals including palmate The Blaydon Burn Project also Mill To Thornley Woodlands newts, emperor dragonflies, azure sought to reduce problems Centre damselflies, water shrews, willow tits , associated with anti-social grasshopper warblers and kingfisher. behaviour such as fly-tipping and illegal motorbike riding, and to The Nature Reserve also includes a number of make the Burn a pleasant and Get Involved! You can get involved in learning about and caring for Blaydon Burn by meadows. Surprisingly the thin, poor and attractive place to visit. ‘contaminated’ soils left behind after the • Becoming a Friend of Blaydon Burn demolition of the former industries make the Paths, steps, stiles and footbridges meadows ideal for a number of interesting have been repaired and cleared • Joining the Gateshead Volunteer Countryside Rangers wildflowers including common spotted orchid, and a wide range of events held to • Taking part in our events and rare butterflies such as the dingy skipper. celebrate the wildlife and history of the Burn. For further information, please contact: Thornley Woodlands Centre Dingy Skipper Kingfisher Butterfly Rowlands Gill, Forge rchaeological dig, Massey’s Blaydon Burn community a Tyne & Wear, NE39 1AU A moderate two and a quarter mile circular The Project also worked with the local community and especially the Telephone: 01207 545212 • Email: [email protected] walk, taking in the best of Blaydon Burn’s rich Friends of Blaydon Burn, a dedicated group of local people who have For information on public transport archaeological heritage and abundant wildlife. worked tirelessly to raise awareness of and improve Blaydon Burn for Contact Traveline North East on 0871 200 22 33 or everyone. www.travelinenortheast.info

Photographs supplied courtesy of S.Charlton and L.Mudd This leaflet was produced using funding from the Forestry Commission Jan 2011 7 . Edward Pit and Tar Tunnel. 100 Blaydon Burn Meadows A brick archway marks the entrance These have been re-seeded with a wild N to the Edward Pit, where coal was flower seed mix, and at certain times Blaydon Burn Trail mined from the 1850s to 1896. of the year are grazed with cattle or Coffee Shop The site was re-used around 1900 by horses. Large flocks of curlew This leaflet details a circular two and a quarter mile moderate Priestman Collieries as the entrance spend the winter here, walk, taking in the best of Blaydon Burn’s rich archaeological to a tunnel connecting the tar works feeding on abundant heritage and abundant wildlife. Along the way you will encounter 1 earthworms in the some stiles and moderate slopes. The path may also be muddy in at Ottovale above the valley, with the sandy soil. 2 places so please wear footwear suitable for walking in the railway to the Tyne below. P countryside. Curlew

Alternatively follow the gently sloping path along the bottom of the valley along the old Blaydon Burn Waggonway and back 3 again. 88. Mature oak trees 11. Cowen’s Lower Yard Firebrick Manufactory These support rare purple hairstreak butterflies The factory, which opened in 1838, made and the shy green woodpecker. 6 million firebricks a year. At that time a good hand moulder could make 2,400 4 bricks per day! The workmen seen in the Purple Hairstreak Butterfly foreground of the picture are eating lunch or ‘bait’ on top of the ovens. The cooling brick ovens made a warm seat on a cold day. The factory closed in 1975 and the walls you can still see near the 17 13 Coal Drop at Bessie Pit bridge are part of a kiln back. Today this 5 Along this southern section of the trail are a long series of retaining walls. area is a wildflower meadow supporting These were related to spoil heaps, coal screens, railways, waggonways, pit dingy skipper butterflies. heads and other buildings. The four openings here were coal drops. Coal 6 was carried from the Bessie Drift Mine to the drops on an elevated platform 22. Blaydon Burn Waggonway and transferred to waggons below. From here the path up the valley follows the line of the Blaydon Burn Waggonway. 16 143 Wintrip’s Mill This was built in 1840 to link Cowen’s High 7 Yard, pits and mills with the Lower Yard Once known as High Mill, this was and the Newcastle-Carlisle railway which an 18th century water powered flint mill named after a 19th transported goods away. 8 century miller. Flint used as ballast 33. Massey’s Forge in ships returning to the Tyne was 9 Built in the 18th century this water-powered corn mill was converted to a Map Key Nuthatch used in the glasss and pottery forge in the 19th century. The waterfall provided power for the ‘overshot’ Blaydon Burn industries on Tyneside. By 1914 water wheel. The site was subject to a major archaeological excavation in Waggonway Wintrip’s Mill had been demolished and replaced with 1982 and two community digs in 2007 and 2009. Along the burn look out Blaydon Burn for dippers bobbing amongst the remains Wildlife and coke ovens. History Trail P Parking 154 Coke Cutting Platform From 1900 Priestman Collieries 10 100m operated a 230m long battery of coke ovens. This brick laid ‘path’ was 111 Reservoir used as a coke cutting platform in the early 20th century. 44. Stands of Elm Trees Now redundant, this early 20th century reservoir supplied water for These trees support white letter hairstreak butterflies. quenching coke, burned in ovens in the valley below or as a general supply These butterflies are particularly rare as they only lay for Blaydon Burn Colliery. Birds such as nuthatch and treecreeper can often 14 be seen clinging to the bark of surrounding trees, searching for insects and their eggs in flowering elm trees and therefore suffered 1156 Priestman ‘Ottovale’ Coke Works 15 spiders. serious declines following the introduction of Dutch elm and Newcastle Tar Works disease. 11 The Priestman coke ovens became known as the ‘German Ovens’ or White Letter Hairstreak Butterfly 122 Bessie Drift Mine ‘Ottovale’ after their German manufacturer, Otto Hilgenstock. The ovens This pit was part of Cowen’s Blaydon produced coke, while the nearby Newcastle Tar Works refined crude tar, a Burn Colliery. Most of the mines in by-product of coke production. The Newcastle Benzol Works was the first Azure Damselfly Blaydon Burn were worked for 13 place in the world where petrol, known as Blaydon Benzole, was produced fireclay for Cowen’s Firebrick from coal. An Electricity Power Supply Station also ran on the heat Manufactory. and gas produced by the Coke Ovens. Reclamation of the site began in the 1970s and the area has now been returned to The entrance to the mine, now grassland. 12 blocked, was along the railway line 5. Hobby’s Mill to the right of the picture. The structure shown was the winding 1167 Blaydon Burn Site of Nature Hobby’s Mill began operating in the 18th century as a corn mill and Conservation Importance some of the walls still survive. This site was part of a community house. The cracks and crevices in These fields were fenced to enable grazing by native archaeological dig in 2006. the crumbling retaining walls breed ponies. This ‘conservation grazing’ creates the Smooth Newt now provide the ideal home for 6. Hobby’s Mill Pond and Dam. pipistrelle bats, which feed on perfect conditions for rare flowers to flourish. During Named after an 18th century miller, this pond was created insects by night. spring and summer, vivid pinks and purples splash after 1713 to power Hobby’s Mill. By 1914 the pond the meadows, as common spotted orchids and self was a reservoir used by Priestman Collieries to 9. Herd’s House Pond heal bloom. supply water to the worker’s houses at In the spring time, look out for amphibians such as frogs, toads and newts, Common Spotted Ottovale Terrace. As part of the Blaydon Burn whilst over the summer months iridescent dragonflies and damselflies can Orchid Project, the pond was re-excavated and now be seen flashing across the surface of the pond. Sightings of the illusive provides a home for wildlife such as the tiny water shrew have also been made here. water shrew.