top of page
full size.png

WW15

Towneley Main Waggonway

Stella to Ryton

54.964746, -1.757915

Opened:

Closed:

1800s

1963

Entry Created:

27 Apr 2023

Last Updated:

27 Apr 2023

Partly Preserved

Condition:

Owners: 

Stella Coal Co.

Description (or HER record listing)

NEHL - A waggonway was constructed in the 1800s to link Emma Pit at Bar Moor, Ryton to Stella Staiths on the Tyne. The waggonway was mostly single track throughout, though featured a passing loop where it now meets the A695 and a number of sidings inc. at a coal depot at Burnaby Lodge and Stargate. It continued east past Stargate Colliery and over the Hexham Old Road, through Path Head Wood to a set of staiths at Stella which have been demolished.

WALKABILITY: ★★★☆☆

There are a number of areas the waggonway can be directly walked upon. Firstly, the track bed is extant past Path Head Mill nr Summerhill, though meets at Hexham Old Road where there is no public footpath, requiring on road walking. It is met again at Stargate, where it is walkable in its entirety to the old Emma Pit at Ryton. I visited in Spring 2023, where the ground was slightly boggy and featured dense foliage. The latter parts of the walk are laid with tarmac. Due to the varying conditions of the waggonway, it's only recommended to walk this if you are experienced with roadside walking and are prepared to get a little muddy.

Ordnance Survey, 1890s

Ordnance Survey, 1890s

The line of the Towneley Main Waggonway can be seen left to right above the industrial estate, which is incidentally the site of Stargate Colliery.

Have we missed something, made a mistake, or have something to add? Contact us

This is a photo of the portion of route between Stargate and Ryton. This was the easiest part to walk, though later on it is much harder with dense foliage.

This is a photo of the portion of route between Stargate and Ryton. This was the easiest part to walk, though later on it is much harder with dense foliage.

Historic Environment Records

Durham/Northumberland: Keys to the Past

Tyne and Wear: Sitelines

HER information as described above is reproduced under the basis the resource is free of charge for education use. It is not altered unless there are grammatical errors. 

icon0821.png

Historic Maps provided by

nls-logo.png
bottom of page