Heritage Trails The Stephenson Trail
Walk distance and time: 11 miles or 17.7km 5 hours (approx.) Start point: Hetton le Hill Community Golf Club Finish point: River Wear, Sunderland City Centre
Facilities and accessibility: Toilets: Hetton Community Pool and Wellness Centre, Silksworth Community Pool, Tennis and Wellness Centre Parking: Parking is limited, advise using public transport Accessibility: Not suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs Heritage Trails The Stephenson Trail Heritage Trails The Stephenson Trail Summary
The Stephenson Trail follows the designed to use locomotives. It route taken by coal wagons on their opened on 18 September 1822 way from the Elemore and Hetton and was to remain in use for the Collieries to the River Wear. It takes next 137 years. its name from the Stephenson In the early days the average brothers who designed the railway speed of the wagons was only in the early 19th century. four miles per hour, but by 1829 The sinking of Hetton Colliery began speeds had increased to twenty on 19 December 1820. After many nine miles per hour and the railway months of excavation, in was moving 2,880 tons of coal in September 1822, the main coal an eight hour shift. seam was reached. The success The success of the colliery and its paved the way for all later mining innovative railway led to further operations in the eastern side of the extensions of the line to allow region, and new collieries were Eppleton and North Hetton Pits opened at Elemore, Eppleton and to take advantage of the route to North Hetton in 1825. the sea. Hetton Colliery’s owners employed The Hetton Railway finally closed in the great civil engineers George 1959, closely followed in the early and Robert Stephenson to design 1960’s by the Hetton and Lambton a railway to exploit the coal staithes, the same staithes that had reserves and transport them to begun Sunderland’s coal shipments the River Wear to be deposited some 140 years before. into awaiting keelboats. The result was quite revolutionary; at over 8 miles in length, it was the longest railway in existence and the first in the world to be specifically
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Hetton le Hill to lived. Note the blue plaque on the Copt Hill gable end. As you face the golf course take the Continue forward passing Lyons path to the right and follow this Gardens. After Lyons Gardens round to the left. cross the road and turn left into the industrial estate and take At the bend, look to the right and it the immediate right down into is just possible to see through the the car park. trees the only surviving building of Elemore Colliery, the pit head baths. Pass through the green and yellow barriers, as the path splits keep left Pass through the black metal and follow the path round to the left, barrier, continue straight ahead, at the seat turn right. Head down down the slope, keeping the golf the slope towards Blossom Pond course on the left and a wooded and Lyons Lake beyond. Pass dene and grassland on the right. through barriers and take the path Continue straight ahead until to the left of the lake. reaching the bottom of the slope. At the blue railings turn left. Bear left and enter into a housing Continue forward through two estate through black gates next to more sets of blue railings, keeping garages on the right. allotments on your right. Continue Turn right along a residential street on this tarmac path, passing (Pimlico Road). At the junction turn through black gates. left onto Gilesgate Road and head Take the second right towards the down the bank. At the junction turn Independent Methodist Church. right and continue straight ahead At the Church, turn left and towards the main road and continue forward towards Hetton Lilywhite Terrace. town centre. Take the second Take care crossing this busy road. turning on the right, pass the Continue straight ahead on the path Prince of Wales pub and Primitive in between the pub and cricket club Methodist Chapel. until reaching the next major road, Cross the road and continue Colliery Lane. Turn right without straight ahead passing McMurchie’s crossing the road, passing Hetton butchers on the right. Continue Lyons Industrial Estate on the left. straight ahead on the tarmac Pass “Lyons Cottages”, shortly after path keeping modern houses on on the right, note “The Lyons” a the right. Note that the fence short terrace of white cottages opposite St. Bede’s Close is where Robert Stephenson once made of railway sleepers.
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T EE TR S D R A W D E
EET STR LINE O R CA D E Lyons Lake Hetton Lyons Stables Country Park
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Depot Recreation Ground Blossom Pond Hetton Lyons Park A182
S Stephenson T A Lake T I O Industrial N Estate R O A D
A B1284 P Car 1 A 8 RK Park 2 N G O A
R T TH Lyons E
RO AD B 12 B1285 84
Stables B1285 COLLIE RY LANE C A 1 82 White Hill
FO A182 U Hetton Lyons R Cricket LA Primary School N Ground E EN D S
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Easington Lane Primary School
H IGH ST RE ET Recreation Ground
Car Park
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Elmore Golf Course
B Elmore Vale Easington START Lane A Saw Mill
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Copt Hill to Doxford Cross the road and continue straight ahead on tarmac path. At the houses take a left and follow the path in between the wall and metal fence. Continue along here and up the steps to All Saints Drive, continue ahead for 150 yards and take the left path off Paul’s Green. Cross the path and continue straight ahead. Note the sign for the River Wear. Where paths meet continue straight ahead up a long incline up to Gillas Lane. Copt Hill and the Seven Sisters can be seen on the right. At the top of the bank turn right and continue up along the B1404 Seaham Road, passing the golf club and then the entrance to the Eppleton Quarry on the right. Pass a long strip of forestry plantation that runs alongside the road on the right. After passing this look to the right and notice a collection of farm buildings, formerly an engine house on the Londonderry Railway to Seaham. At the next set of buildings, turn left, cross the road and take the track marked “private road”.
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E Warden Law LAN LAS Cottages GIL 04 B14
B 1 4 0 4
S E A H A M R O A D Club House
NE S LA ILLA Houhgton-le-Spring 4 G Golf Course B140
0 B126 Copt Hill LEIGH COPT
rn u B e n e D gh ou Coptleigh F R The Moors
Rough Dene Ford Wind Turbine
Eppleton Primary Low Downs School Broom Hill
Wind Turbine D Curlew
L Cricket Hope E I Ground F ELM High Downs
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I N T Hetton S Eppleton Quarry D R IV Downs E Hetton Park
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Copt Hill to Doxford (continued) Follow the private road up the slope and around as it turns sharply to the left. Take the first right up the slope, then first right again to re-join the railway line. Follow this path as it bends round to the left and continue straight ahead. Notice the Stadium of Light in the distance. Take the path to the right up to the summit of Warden Law, continue forward and descend down to Hangman’s Lane. At the road turn left and follow the path down the bank. Cross to continue on the path down the bank. Follow this as it curves to the right and crosses the A19. Cross the road taking the path to the left following the blue “W2W” sign. Follow this alongside the A19 and as it bends to the right down a tree lined avenue. At the junction of paths turn left skirting around the edges of Doxford International. Cross the road and continue straight ahead. Note the artwork “inter alia” on the right. After the artwork turn right and continue straight ahead crossing two roads before reaching “City Way”.
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Moorside
Y WA LL Portland WE ER Academy B M A C
Dismantled Railway
A Silksworth 19 Plantation
Stonygate Stables
Highfield Thristley House House A19
The Moors
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Warden E Warden Law LAN Law LAS Cottages GIL 04 B14
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Doxford to Silksworth (continued) Take care crossing this fast, busy road, descend the slope and turn right along the footpath and continue as far as the footbridge. Descend down to Silksworth Road. A short detour to the right will lead to Doxford Park. Otherwise continue straight ahead and cross the road and follow the blue “W2W” signs along the old railway line path. To the right are Gilley Law Flats. Cross the road at the crossing and enter into the Silksworth Sports Complex. Take the path to the left of the lake. Follow the path round to the lake to its farthest point. Five paths converge here. Take the second path on the left to continue straight ahead to the second of the park’s lakes. Walk to the end of the lake keeping to the left side and cross the small bridge, turn left then left again, crossing the stream and take the immediate right. Follow the path all the way up to Premier Road.
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Police Thorney Close Station Tennis Primary School Centre Tel Ex I Recreation Groun
Recreation Ground
Ski Slope Recreation Ground N (Artificial) O R T H M O O R L A N Newpor E Hill Car Park
Pit Row Cricket Ground
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D E L Farringdon T Community N Mill Hill Academy A M S DI
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D H ROA WORT SILKS Doxford
Doxford Park H Silksworth Hall
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Silksworth to River Wear At traffic island cross Premier Road with care. Bear right and take the path on the left down the slope. Look back to the right and note the sculpture which shows the outline of an early train set in the grassy embankment. Continue on the path as it bears to the left passing behind houses. Pass through an underpass and observe the artwork of local artist Frank Styles. At the top of the slope turn left around the car park and cross Durham Road using the two stage pedestrian crossing. Bear right, crossing Richard Avenue and back onto the Stephenson Trail. Note the blue post indicating the River Wear some 1.5 miles distant. Continue on this line, crossing two roads all the way to Chester Road.
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A R K S R O A Sunderland D Royal Hospital ROAD TER W CHES E T S T H ER E N L HIL M L
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Low Newport Farm Police Station Tennis Centre Tel Ex I Recreation Ground
N O R T H Recreation Ground M O O R L A N E Ski Slope (Artificial) Recreation Ground
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Silksworth to River Wear (continued) Cross Chester Road and continue ahead on the path. At the road turn right and continue forward keeping the embankment on the right. Cross over the metro line (formerly Penshaw to Pallion railway) and continue straight ahead towards the busy road and roundabout. Cross this road using the traffic island to the right of the roundabout and head in the direction of the city centre. Take the road to the left marked with blue “C2C” signs that descends down to the river. You are now passing through Galley’s Gill. Descend the Gill and pass under the bridge. On the left are two disused railway tunnels. Continue until reaching the end of the path overlooking the river beneath the Wearmouth Bridges. This completes the 11 mile trail; you have now retraced the journey made by the very first steam-hauled train over 170 years ago.
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Southwick
l rlwel ThiBank
Quay Monkwearmouth
Swimming Pool
Warehouses
Deptford Stadium of Light Depot Works (Sunderland AFC)
Queen Alexandra Bus Depot Bridge Bus Depot
W re a th Quay
Scrap Yard Works Wearmouth Staiths K Quay Ayre’s Quay Millfield Wearmouth Gill Bridge Bridge (Foot) FINISH Galley’s Gill
W O R N O D Bishopwearnouth G N I R R A F
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S T M AR University K Mowbray S R Extension OA Park D
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Building Hill
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A) Hetton le Hill Community D) Hetton Lyons Colliery Golf Club and Country Park The golf course is built upon the After Hetton Colliery was closed in reclaimed site of Elemore Colliery. 1950, the land was set aside for the The colliery had been founded in development of a country park. 1825. It was built on land leased The reclamation process began in from the Baker family of the nearby 1986 and the park is now an Elemore Hall. important place for wetland birds including, coot, moorhen, tufted B) Pithead Baths duck and reed bunting. The only surviving buildings of Elemore Colliery are the grade II listed E) Hetton Primitive pit head baths designed by F.G. Methodist Church Frizzell and built in 1933. The central In 1823 Primitive Methodism entered tower contained the water tank and Hetton. However, work on this the impressive external design of the building began in 1856 and it officially building was complimented by an opened on 22 May 1858. A bottle interior of considerable quality – all containing the names of the trustees achieved at a reputed cost of £1,500. is believed to be in the foundations. The completion of the building C) The Lyons Cottages owes much to the contribution and George and Robert Stephenson were co-operation of the Hetton Coal tasked with designing the railway that Company who supplied building would help to facilitate the movement materials, stone, sand and lime. of coal from Hetton to the river Wear. “The Lyons”, are a short terrace of white cottages typical of the early 19th century. It was here where Robert Stephenson once lived.
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F) Copt Hill The park itself is home to a number of This famous local landmark is fine mature beech trees and in the steeped in history and is a scheduled spring and summer it is noted for its ancient monument. The barrow that beautiful display of flowers such as lies at its heart is a prehistoric burial Siberian Squill, Glory of the Snow mound, known locally as the seven and Autumn Crocus. sisters, due to the seven (now six) The area to the east of the park, beech trees on the summit. along Warden Law Lane has its roots Excavation of the barrow in 1877 by firmly in the Anglo Saxon age. Indeed Canon William Greenwell revealed it is believed that Silksworth is first that the primary burial was a Neolithic referenced in a land grant of King cremation believed to be an example Athelstan, the grandson of Alfred the of an axial mortuary structure. Great and the first King of all England. G) Warden Law I) Silksworth Sports Complex This is the highest point in Soon after Silksworth colliery closed Sunderland. From here one is in 1971 work began to transform the afforded fantastic views in all site into a huge sporting and directions, the Cheviot Hills that mark woodland area. the border with Scotland in the north, The site is currently home to a the Durham Fells to the west and the running track and artificial ski slope. North York Moors to the south. The surrounding woodland and H) Doxford Park lakes are home to a variety of birdlife including mute swan, mallard Doxford Park is a hidden gem. and sparrowhawk. Originally the grounds of Silksworth (now Doxford) House, it has a history J) Penshaw Railway stretching back to 1775, when the The metro line is built on the old house was built by William Johnson. Penshaw railway line which was Over the years the house has been established in 1852 to carry freight to occupied by a number of inhabitants, Hendon. In 1853 it began operating a including a General Beckwith who passenger service into Sunderland served in the British Army at the town centre. The metro line was Battle of Waterloo. It is however extended to Sunderland in 2002. most well known for being the home of the famous Doxford shipbuilding family, whose yard at Pallion developed into one of the greatest anywhere in the world.
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K) Galley’s Gill and the River Wear This area was once one of the busiest and most intense industrial landscapes in the country. Coal wagons and locos would have been arrayed across this small plateau above the river. Note the disused railway tunnels to the left. Wooden staithes would stretch out and overhang into the ships below, waiting to fill their holds with the “black diamonds”. It is a very different scene today. The absence of industry has resulted in the return of wildlife. Keep an eye out for common seal, otter and wetland birds such as the cormorant.
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Funded by East Sunderland Area Committee SIB For more information on walking in Sunderland visit: www.activesunderland.org.uk
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