As the Ouseburn Leaves Jesmond Vale it passes underneath 3 different parts of Newcastle, Newington Rd, Warwick street and beneath the city stadium. The culvert is 2,150ft long and was built in two stages during the twentieth century.
Before the Culvert was constructed, the Ouseburn cut deep through the valley making it diffcult for to reach nearby suburbs from the two. The valley at the time was more than 100ft deep and steep edges making it not only difficult but dangerous. Local workers and council began to fill in the valley with industrial waste, so over time the ground level rose, creating new land for housing and roads.
Laws changed soon after, thus preventing workers from filling in the valley with waste and the culvert construction was started in 1907. It cost around £23,000 before being completed in 1911. During this time the had to be diverted into millraces and was diverted back was work had been finished.
During ww2 it was used as a air raid shelter and could seat upto 3000 people and even had its own sick bay. In the 1970 the wartime entrance was boarded over to create an outdoor riding area for neaby stables. Today the culvert still carries the Ouseburn and part of the sewer system.
I checked out this place not knowing what really to expect due to bad weather and extreme local flooding. Water levels had dropped dramatically since my previous visit so i proceeded to enter the culvert with a friend of mine. Apart from graffiti on every single inch of wall the culvert is still standing well and for me is deffiantly worth a 2nd visit hopefully with a better camera and some light toys.
Hope you guys enjoy
Before the Culvert was constructed, the Ouseburn cut deep through the valley making it diffcult for to reach nearby suburbs from the two. The valley at the time was more than 100ft deep and steep edges making it not only difficult but dangerous. Local workers and council began to fill in the valley with industrial waste, so over time the ground level rose, creating new land for housing and roads.
Laws changed soon after, thus preventing workers from filling in the valley with waste and the culvert construction was started in 1907. It cost around £23,000 before being completed in 1911. During this time the had to be diverted into millraces and was diverted back was work had been finished.
During ww2 it was used as a air raid shelter and could seat upto 3000 people and even had its own sick bay. In the 1970 the wartime entrance was boarded over to create an outdoor riding area for neaby stables. Today the culvert still carries the Ouseburn and part of the sewer system.
I checked out this place not knowing what really to expect due to bad weather and extreme local flooding. Water levels had dropped dramatically since my previous visit so i proceeded to enter the culvert with a friend of mine. Apart from graffiti on every single inch of wall the culvert is still standing well and for me is deffiantly worth a 2nd visit hopefully with a better camera and some light toys.
Hope you guys enjoy
