English, British
Class
Industrial
COMP1
Jennifer Morrison
Crossref
1536
DAY1
01
District
Newcastle
Easting
424210
Grid ref figure
8
Map Sheet
NZ26NW
MONTH1
6
Grid Reference
NZ
Northing
566030
General Period
POST MEDIEVAL
Specific Period
Post Medieval 1540 to 1901
Place
Newcastle
Description
A ring bank, measuring 0.25 metres high, surrounds a central depression 0.15 metres deep. The spoil heap is badly damaged by three drains cut across it which have split it into several ridges.
Site Type: Broad
Mineral Pit
SITEDESC
A ring bank, measuring 0.25m high, surrounds a central depression 0.15m deep. The spoil heap is badly damaged by three drains cut across it which have split it into several ridges.
Site Name
Town Moor, bell pit
Site Type: Specific
Bell Pit
HER Number
5900
Form of Evidence
Earthwork
Sources
<< HER 5900 >> RCHME, 1995, Town Moor, Newcastle upon Tyne, Archaeological Survey Report, p 25
YEAR1
2004
English, British
Class
Industrial
COMP1
Jennifer Morrison
Crossref
1536
DAY1
01
District
Newcastle
Easting
424240
Grid ref figure
8
Map Sheet
NZ26NW
MONTH1
6
Grid Reference
NZ
Northing
566020
General Period
POST MEDIEVAL
Specific Period
Post Medieval 1540 to 1901
Place
Newcastle
Description
A low ring-bank, measuring 0.2 metres high but damaged on its western side, surrounds a central depression 0.15 metres deep.
Site Type: Broad
Mineral Pit
SITEDESC
A low ring-bank, measuring 0.2m high but damaged on its western side, surrounds a central depression 0.15m deep.
Site Name
Town Moor, bell pit
Site Type: Specific
Bell Pit
HER Number
5899
Form of Evidence
Earthwork
Sources
<< HER 5899 >> RCHME, 1995, Town Moor, Newcastle upon Tyne, Archaeological Survey Report, p 25
YEAR1
2004
English, British
Class
Commercial
COMP1
Jennifer Morrison
Crossref
1536
DAY1
01
District
Newcastle
Easting
423100
Grid ref figure
6
Map Sheet
NZ26NW
MONTH1
6
Grid Reference
NZ
Northing
566100
General Period
MEDIEVAL
Specific Period
Medieval 1066 to 1540
Place
Newcastle
Description
Cow Hill has a long history as a fair ground. It was, before the construction of the Central Motorway, the highest point on the Town Moor and is equidistant from each of the surrounding townships. The Cow Hill fair is first mentioned in 1490, when a grant was made for a fair to be held on St. Luke's Day by Henry VII. The fair, according to a report of the Board of Agriculture in 1880, was for the sale of livestock and was the biggest in the North of England. Cow Hill has mostly been destroyed by the motorway cutting and with it any trace of the fairground; however a series of hollow ways are visible leading up to the summit of the hill from the south. There are four in all, each measuring 60 metres long with scarps up to 0.4 metres high. These may be the remains of routeways formed by the driving of livestock up to the fair ground. Another fair, held on Lammas Day, was granted by King John in 1318; however there is no record of this having been held on Cow Hill.
Site Type: Broad
Market
SITEDESC
Cow Hill has a long history as a fair ground. It was, before the construction of the Central Motorway, the highest point on the Town Moor and is equidistant from each of the surrounding townships. The Cow Hill fair is first mentioned in 1490, when a grant was made for a fair to be held on St. Luke's Day by Henry VII. The fair, according to a report of the Board of Agriculture in 1880, was for the sale of livestock and was the biggest in the North of England. Cow Hill has mostly been destroyed by the motorway cutting and with it any trace of the fairground; however a series of hollow ways are visible leading up to the summit of the hill from the south. There are four in all, each measuring 60m long with scarps up to 0.4m high. These may be the remains of routeways formed by the driving of livestock up to the fair ground. Another fair, held on Lammas Day, was granted by King John in 1318; however there is no record of this having been held on Cow Hill. Dated C15th.
Site Name
Town Moor, Cow Hill Fair
Site Type: Specific
Livestock Market
HER Number
5898
Form of Evidence
Documentary Evidence
Sources
<< HER 5898 >> RCHME, 1995, Town Moor, Newcastle upon Tyne, Archaeological Survey Report, p 20-21
E.M Halcrow, 1953, The Town Moor of Newcastle upon Tyne, Archaeologia Aeliana, 4, XIII, pp 153
SURVIVAL
1-19%
YEAR1
2004
English, British
Class
Domestic
COMP1
Jennifer Morrison
COMP2
Jennifer Morrison
DAY1
01
DAY2
31
District
Newcastle
Easting
424610
Grid ref figure
8
Map Sheet
NZ26NW
MONTH1
6
MONTH2
12
Grid Reference
NZ
Northing
566840
General Period
POST MEDIEVAL
Specific Period
Victorian 1837 to 1901
Place
Newcastle
Description
There were two worker's cottages built on Town Moor land by the Stewards Committee to house the workers and their families who were employed by the Freemen for the various jobs involved with the upkeep of the Moor. These houses became known as the Blue Houses due to the regulation colour of their paintwork. One of the houses still exists on the corner of Dukes Moor, adjacent to the junction of Grandstand Road and the Great North Road, to which it has lent its name - the Blue House roundabout. The other house stood near the junction of Grandstand Road and Ponteland Road, but has been demolished. A low bank marks the course of the wall around the property which is visible as a rectangular platform. Both houses are visible on Thomas Oliver's map of 1852 and the 1st edition Ordnance Survey map. A "Blue House" is mentioned by Charleton at Moor Edge although it is not clear which (if either) this might be. LOCAL LIST
SITEASS
The present Blue House was built in 1895 to replace an earlier house. Housed the stockman who tended the cattle on the Town Moor for the Freeman of Newcastle, and a tollman who collected the "Thorough Toll" that was levied on all goods brought into the town. When the toll was discontinued in 1910, it became a police house. Local list - Despite its name the Blue House is not blue. It takes its name from a remark made in 1898 that the house had blue tiles on the roof. The two storey brick house has blue painted wooden features such as window frames, porch and mock Tudor wood detailing in the gable. The sections between the blue mock Tudor elements and the window surrounds are painted white creating a striking landmark by the busy road. The house was built in 1895 to replace an earlier structure that had been erected to lodge the stockman who tended cattle on the Town Moor. It was also used as a base for toll collectors who took a toll levied on goods coming in to the city, a practice discontinued in 1910.
Site Type: Broad
Industrial House
SITEDESC
There were two worker's cottages built on Town Moor land by the Stewards Committee to house the workers and their families who were employed by the Freemen for the various jobs involved with the upkeep of the Moor. These houses became known as the Blue Houses due to the regulation colour of their paintwork. One of the houses still exists on the corner of Dukes Moor, adjacent to the junction of Grandstand Road and the Great North Road, to which it has lent its name - the Blue House roundabout. The other house stood near the junction of Grandstand Road and Ponteland Road, but has been demolished. A low bank marks the course of the wall around the property which is visible as a rectangular platform. Both houses are visible on Thomas Oliver's map of 1852 and the 1st edition Ordnance Survey map. A "Blue House" is mentioned by Charleton at Moor Edge although it is not clear which (if either) this might be.
Site Name
Town Moor, Blue Houses
Site Type: Specific
Workers Cottage
SITE_STAT
Local List
HER Number
5897
Form of Evidence
Extant Building
Sources
<< HER 5897 >> RCHME, 1995, Town Moor, Newcastle upon Tyne, Archaeological Survey Report, P 54
R.J. Charleton, 1933, A History of Newcastle upon Tyne, p 384
SURVIVAL
100%
YEAR1
2004
YEAR2
2007
English, British
Class
Health and Welfare
COMP1
Jennifer Morrison
COMP2
Rachel Grahame
Crossref
1536
DAY1
01
DAY2
12
District
Newcastle
Easting
423670
Grid ref figure
8
Map Sheet
NZ26NW
MONTH1
6
MONTH2
5
Grid Reference
NZ
Northing
566270
General Period
POST MEDIEVAL
Specific Period
Victorian 1837 to 1901
Place
Newcastle
Description
At the foot of the largest motorway spoilheap is a large fenced enclosure, measuring 230m by 40m, enclosing an area of mature trees and scrub. This is the site of a demolished isolation hospital. It first appears on the 1899 second edition OS map. Opened in 1882 it comprised a single enclosure divided into two units - the Smallpox Hospital with 72 beds and an Isolation Section with 100 beds. Buildings were of timber and corrugated iron with poor heating and lighting. By 1958 it had been demolished. The building of the hospital had to be subject to permission from the Freemen of the City who allowed the development on the Moor subject to a similar sized piece of land, adjacent to Fouracres Road (NZ 2225 6640) being incorporated into the Moor. Soon after demolition the eastern end of the enclosure was extended and trees planted in it. There are traces of ridge and furrow within the extended enclosure and two paths from Grandstand Road to the fence survive.
Site Type: Broad
Hospital
SITEDESC
At the foot of the largest motorway spoilheap is a large fenced enclosure, measuring 230m by 40m, enclosing an area of mature trees and scrub. This is the site of a demolished isolation hospital. It first appears on the 1899 second edition OS map. Opened in 1882 it comprised a single enclosure divided into two units - the Smallpox Hospital with 72 beds and an Isolation Section with 100 beds. Buildings were of timber and corrugated iron with poor heating and lighting. By 1958 it had been demolished. The building of the hospital had to be subject to permission from the Freemen of the City who allowed the development on the Moor subject to a similar sized piece of land, adjacent to Fouracres Road (NZ 2225 6640) being incorporated into the Moor. Soon after demolition the eastern end of the enclosure was extended and trees planted in it. There are traces of ridge and furrow within the extended enclosure and two paths from Grandstand Road to the fence survive.
Site Name
Town Moor, Smallpox Hospital Enclosure
Site Type: Specific
Infectious Diseases Hospital
HER Number
5896
Form of Evidence
Documentary Evidence
Sources
<< HER 5896 >> RCHME, 1995, Town Moor, Newcastle upon Tyne, Archaeological Survey Report, p 53
Aerial Photograph, NMR, 1940, Aerial Photograph, 58/B/32, 3G/TUD/UK/94, 106G/UK/1193 CPE/UK/2352; Lynn Redhead, 1996, Hospitals
SURVIVAL
None
YEAR1
2004
YEAR2
2023
English, British
Class
Monument <By Form>
COMP1
Jennifer Morrison
COMP2
Jennifer Morrison
Crossref
1536,5894
DAY1
01
DAY2
29
District
Newcastle
Easting
423870
Grid ref figure
8
LANDUSE
Grassland
Map Sheet
NZ26NW
MONTH1
6
MONTH2
12
Grid Reference
NZ
NMRNUMBER
NZ 26 NW 29
Northing
566330
General Period
PREHISTORIC
Specific Period
Later Prehistoric -4,000 to 43
Place
Newcastle
Description
To the south of the racecourse embankment on the eastward facing slope of Race Hill lies a small circular earthwork enclosure measuring about 32 metres in diameter. It is defined on the upslope side by a low bank, 0.3 metres high, which has an external ditch which measures 0.2 metres deep. On the downslope side there is an apron scarp which measures about 0.4 metres high. There is a flattened area to the east at the junction of the bank and ditch with the start of the apron scarp which could be an entrance. Internal features are slight, the most obvious being a small mound with a hollow in its centre which could be an unfinished mine shaft. The site has been further damaged on its south-west corner by some digging which has produced a right-angled scarp, 0.4 metres high. The surrounding ridge and furrow appears to stop at the ditch although it is unclear whether or not the ditch cuts the rig. Drainage ditches cut down the centre of the furrows also cut through the bank, complicating the picture. The shape and form of the earthwork lends itself to tentative interpretation as a small enclosed settlement. However the lack of any clear relationship with the ridge and furrow means that dating is impossible.
Site Type: Broad
Enclosure
SITEDESC
To the south of the racecourse embankment on the eastward facing slope of Race Hill lies a small circular earthwork enclosure measuring about 32m in diameter. It is defined on the upslope side by a low bank, 0.3m high, which has an external ditch which measures 0.2m deep. On the downslope side there is an apron scarp which measures about 0.4m high. There is a flattened area to the east at the junction of the bank and ditch with the start of the apron scarp which could be an entrance. Internal features are slight, the most obvious being a small mound with a hollow in its centre which could be an unfinished mine shaft. The site has been further damaged on its south-west corner by some digging which has produced a right-angled scarp, 0.4m high. The surrounding ridge and furrow appears to stop at the ditch although it is unclear whether or not the ditch cuts the rig. Drainage ditches cut down the centre of the furrows also cut through the bank, complicating the picture. The shape and form of the earthwork lends itself to tentative interpretation as a small enclosed settlement. However the lack of any clear relationship with the ridge and furrow means that dating is impossible.
Site Name
Town Moor, possible prehistoric settlement
Site Type: Specific
Circular Enclosure
HER Number
5895
Form of Evidence
Earthwork
Sources
<< HER 5895 >> RCHME, 1995, Town Moor, Newcastle upon Tyne, Archaeological Survey Report, p 53; English Heritage, 2008, Hadrian's Wall National Mapping Programme, 1029787; Aerial Photograph RAF 58/B/32 5241 16-MAY-1948
YEAR1
2004
YEAR2
2008
English, British
Class
Monument <By Form>
COMP1
Jennifer Morrison
COMP2
Jennifer Morrison
Crossref
1536,5895
DAY1
01
DAY2
29
District
Newcastle
Easting
423690
Grid ref figure
8
LANDUSE
Grassland
Map Sheet
NZ26NW
MONTH1
6
MONTH2
12
Grid Reference
NZ
NMRNUMBER
NZ 26 NW 32
Northing
566380
General Period
PREHISTORIC
Specific Period
Iron Age -800 to 43
Place
Newcastle
Description
When the top soil was reinstated after an area around Race Hill was regraded, a soil mark of a rectangular single ditched enclosure was revealed on an AP. It measures 50 metres east to west and 65 metres north to south. It has a single entrance in the east side about 10 metres wide with the ditch on either side ending in flared terminals. The south-east corner does not show up. In the centre of the west side the ditch narrows. There is no evidence of this feature on the ground, probably due to regrading. Neither has the feature appeared on any subsequent photographs. The site of the north-east corner is now overlain by the bank of a golf green. The form of the earthwork leads to its interpretation as a ditched enclosure of prehistoric or Romano-British date.
Site Type: Broad
Enclosure
SITEDESC
When the top soil was reinstated after an area around Race Hill was regraded, a soil mark of a rectangular single ditched enclosure was revealed on an AP. It measures 50m east to west and 65m north to south. It has a single entrance in the east side about 10m wide with the ditch on either side ending in flared terminals. The south-east corner does not show up. In the centre of the west side the ditch narrows. There is no evidence of this feature on the ground, probably due to regrading. Neither has the feature appeared on any subsequent photographs. The site of the north-east corner is now overlain by the bank of a golf green. The form of the earthwork leads to its interpretation as a ditched enclosure of prehistoric or Romano-British date.
Site Name
Town Moor, possible prehistoric settlement
Site Type: Specific
Rectilinear Enclosure
HER Number
5894
Form of Evidence
Cropmark
Sources
<< HER 5894 >> RCHME, 1995, Town Moor, Newcastle upon Tyne, Archaeological Survey Report, p 52-53; English Heritage, 2008, Hadrian's Wall National Mapping Programme, 1029883; Aerial Photograph NMR, NLAP 58/B/32 5240-5241
Aerial Photograph, NMR, 1940, Aerial Photograph, 58/B/32
YEAR1
2004
YEAR2
2008
English, British
Class
Defence
COMP1
Jennifer Morrison
DAY1
01
District
Newcastle
Easting
423840
Grid ref figure
8
HISTORY_TOPIC
World Wars
Map Sheet
NZ26NW
MONTH1
6
Grid Reference
NZ
Northing
564890
General Period
20TH CENTURY
Specific Period
20th Century 1901 to 2000
Place
Newcastle
Description
A series of seven raised platforms dug parallel to one another along their long axis. They measure 20 metres x 7.7 metres with the ditches surrounding them measuring 1.8 metres wide and 0.3 metres deep. Two are subdivided along their long axis and have no ditch surrounding their shorter ends. There are another five raised platforms at NZ 2329 6484.
Site Type: Broad
Military Building
SITEDESC
A series of seven raised platforms dug parallel to one another along their long axis. They measure 20m x 7.7m with the ditches surrounding them measuring 1.8m wide and 0.3m deep. Two are subdivided along their long axis and have no ditch surrounding their shorter ends. There are another five raised platforms at NZ 2329 6484.
Site Name
Castle Leazes, Nissen hut platforms
Site Type: Specific
Nissen Hut
HER Number
5893
Form of Evidence
Cropmark
Sources
<< HER 5893 >> RCHME, 1995, Town Moor, Newcastle upon Tyne, Archaeological Survey Report, p 41
SURVIVAL
None
YEAR1
2004
English, British
Class
Defence
COMP1
Jennifer Morrison
Crossref
5891
DAY1
01
District
Newcastle
Easting
423270
Grid ref figure
8
HISTORY_TOPIC
World Wars
Map Sheet
NZ26NW
MONTH1
6
Grid Reference
NZ
Northing
565050
General Period
20TH CENTURY
Specific Period
Second World War 1939 to 1945
Place
Newcastle
Description
At the southern edge of the POW camp (HER 5891) are four rectangular earthwork features, consisting of a series of conjoined ditches that form rectangles, measuring 16 metres x 10 metres up to 0.30 metres deep. The upcast of the ditch was used to create four raised platforms. The earthworks can be seen on the 1946 aerial photograph in progress of construction, five in one row and four in another parallel row. They may have been another type of trench, or the footings for temporary buildings such as Nissen huts.
Site Type: Broad
Military Building
SITEDESC
At the southern edge of the POW camp (HER 5891) are four rectangular earthwork features, consisting of a series of conjoined ditches that form rectangles, measuring 16m x 10m up to 0.30m deep. The upcast of the ditch was used to create four raised platforms. The earthworks can be seen on the 1946 aerial photograph in progress of construction, five in one row and four in another parallel row. They may have been another type of trench, or the footings for temporary buildings such as Nissen huts.
Site Name
Nuns Moor Park, Nissen hut platforms
Site Type: Specific
Nissen Hut
HER Number
5892
Form of Evidence
Cropmark
Sources
<< HER 5892 >> RCHME, 1995, Town Moor, Newcastle upon Tyne, Archaeological Survey Report, p 41
SURVIVAL
None
YEAR1
2004
English, British
Class
Defence
COMP1
Jennifer Morrison
COMP2
Jennifer Morrison
Crossref
5892-3
DAY1
01
DAY2
29
District
Newcastle
Easting
423400
Grid ref figure
8
HISTORY_TOPIC
World Wars
LANDUSE
Recreational Usage
Map Sheet
NZ26NW
MONTH1
6
MONTH2
12
Grid Reference
NZ
NMRNUMBER
NZ 26 NW 31
Northing
565100
General Period
20TH CENTURY
Specific Period
Second World War 1939 to 1945
Place
Newcastle
Description
Situated on the green to the north of Studley Terrace, occupying the eastern half of Nunsmoor Park. It consisted of a number of parallel accomodation blocks and other large buildings. Can be seen on 1947 aerial photographs. The occupants were Italian prisoners of war. The camp had a low level of security. Prisoners were let out to do work around the town such as road sweeping and postal delivery. The camp seems to have been defended by several trenches to the west. These are still visible as low earthwork ditches or parchmarks, and are visible on 1947 aerial photographs. All exhibit the same configuration of short angled lengths in a zig-zag (similar patterns can be seen in practice trenches on the Salisbury Plain training area and elsewhere). The camp was demolished in 1959.
Site Type: Broad
Military Camp
SITEDESC
Situated on the green to the north of Studley Terrace, occupying the eastern half of Nunsmoor Park. It consisted of a number of parallel accommodation blocks and other large buildings. Can be seen on 1947 aerial photographs. The occupants were Italian prisoners of war. The camp had a low level of security. Prisoners were let out to do work around the town such as road sweeping and postal delivery. The camp seems to have been defended by several trenches to the west. These are still visible as low earthwork ditches or parchmarks, and are visible on 1947 aerial photographs. All exhibit the same configuration of short angled lengths in a zig-zag (similar patterns can be seen in practice trenches on the Salisbury Plain training area and elsewhere). The camp was demolished in 1959.
Site Name
Nuns Moor Park, Prisoner of War Camp
Site Type: Specific
Prisoner of War Camp
HER Number
5891
Form of Evidence
Documentary Evidence
Sources
<< HER 5891 >> RCHME, 1995, Town Moor, Newcastle upon Tyne, Archaeological Survey Report, p 39
Aerial Photograph, NMR, 1947, CPE/UK/1193/726
Aerial Photograph, NMR, 1958, 58/RAF/2685/01361
Aerial Photograph, NMR, 1946, CPE/UK/2352/Lib. No. 726; English Heritage, 2008, Hadrian's Wall National Mapping Programme, 1029869; Aerial Photograph RAF/3G/TUD/UK/147 5459 15-APR-1946
SURVIVAL
None
YEAR1
2004
YEAR2
2008