Wallsend, Waggonway to Wallsend G (Church Pit)

This waggonway ran west from G or Church Pit at the eastern side of Wallsend Royalty which was sunk in 1800.

Wallsend Waggonway was the scene of experimentation and development of steam locomotives in the early 19th century. William Chapman, the early owner of the mine and friend of the viewer, John Buddle, set a locomotive of his design on the line in 1815. Initial trials and use were not successful as the waggonway was laid with timber rails and the engines were removed for a time. Once the timber rails were replaced with Losh iron rails, steam locomotives returned to the waggonway. It is possible that Steam Elephant, an engine known to have worked at Heaton Colliery (and which has been replicated at Beamish Museum, County Durham), may have operated on the lines at Wallsend.

Wallsend Colliery
In 1778 the Royalty of Wallsend, with large reserves of deep and previously unworkable High Main Coal, was leased from the Dean and Chapter of Durham by William and John Chapman who introduced powerful new steam engines to sink and dewater proposed mines. But winning the coal was still problematic. Following an expensive failure in sinking an unnamed first shaft, A and B pits were nearing full depth when the partnership was declared bankrupt by the Sunderland bankers Russell, Allan and Wade who had mortgaged the costly work, and who proceeded to take over the colliery. The High Main Seam was won at 105 fathoms in 1782 and found to be nearly six feet thick. The coal was of the highest quality and greatly favoured by the important London market. The C (Wallsend) Pit, D (West) Pit and the E (Beany Field) and F (Tommy Mann’s) pits were sunk in 1790, followed by G (Church) Pit. As the High Main Seam was exhausted across the colliery, the deeper Bensham Seam at 150 fathoms was reached by sinking from the existing A, C and G pits.