This is one of the most significant industrial ruins on Tyneside, tucked away in a Felling warehouse estate. It is a rare, material reminder of the North East's early mining heritage, with this dating from at east the early 19th century.

These are the remains of the Friars Goose Pumping Engine House. Its the last of various attempts the tame the Tyne - pumping out thousands of gallons of water which kept on flooding the coal workings hundreds of metres underground.

In 1745 four were constructed on this section of the river - two at Dents Hole and two at Byker as water was a constant threat to the collieries at St Lawrence, St Anthony's, Byker and Felling. It was so difficult to control that one at this site was added a year later, but only carried on for a couple of decades as it was a futile effort.

The structure we see today dates from the 1820s, and is the last of a string to act as the ultimate defence against the pouring water. It featured one of the most powerful engines on the Tyne which can be seen on Thomas Hair's illustration below. This is the only monument left standing from any of Hair's watercolours, and we can see the rear of the house with beams leading into the shaft now covered. It was part of the Tyne Main Colliery complex, a working commencing in 1798 and operated until around the 1900s - a similar longevity to Felling Colliery nearby. It was owned by the Losh family who operated the iron works at Walker, later moving to Teesside and being absorbed into Dorman Long. The families riches originated from the coal trade.

By 1849 the engine was raising 1170 gallons of water per minute. Despite the constant efforts, they could not prevent the collieries flooding. St Lawrence Colliery near modern day Hoults Yard, despite having some of the best quality coal in the region, closed in 1832. St Anthony's closed before the 1850s too. This pumping engine, thanks to bettering technology, ceased operating in the 1850s but somehow survives.