Victoria Tunnel (Newcastle)

The Victoria Tunnel is a subterranean wagonway that runs under Newcastle upon Tyne, England, from the Town Moor down to the River Tyne. It was built between 1839 and 1842 to transport coal from Leazes Main Colliery in Spital Tongues, to riverside staithes (jetties), ready for loading onto boats for export. The tunnel was driven through boulder clay, and formed by a base course of stone supporting a brick arch. Loaded wagons descended the incline of the tunnel under their own weight, and were rope-hauled back to the colliery by a stationary engine. The colliery closed in January 1860 and the tunnel was abandoned until the start of the Second World War, when it was converted for use as an air-raid shelter. The tunnel is 2.4 miles (3.9 km) in length with a maximum depth of 85 feet (26 m) and drops 222 feet (68 m) from entrance to exit. It remains largely intact.

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Ouseburn Valley

The Ouseburn Valley is the name of the valley of the Ouseburn, a small tributary of the River Tyne, running southwards through the east of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The name refers particularly to the urbanised lower valley, spanned by three impressive bridges, which is nowadays a cultural and social oasis close to the centre of Newcastle.

Seven Stories

Seven Stories, the National Centre for Children's Books is a museum and visitor centre dedicated to children's literature and based in the Ouseburn Valley, Newcastle upon Tyne, close to the city's regenerated Quayside. The renovated Victorian mill in which it is housed has seven levels. It is the first and only museum in the UK wholly devoted to the art of British children's books. Their archive is housed in a separate building in Felling.

The Cluny

The Cluny is a 300-capacity live music venue, pub and café, on Lime Street, in the Ouseburn Valley area of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Based in a former flax spinning mill, The Cluny occupies part of the wider building at 36 Lime Street, sharing the space with artists, offices and recording studios. The Cluny is a regular fixture in the top 100 list of World's Best Bars.

Byker Bridge

The Byker Bridge is a 1,130.7 ft (344.65 m) long road bridge that carries the A193 road over the River Ouseburn in Newcastle upon Tyne. It carries traffic from the city centre and Central Motorway in the west, to the area of Byker to the east, over the lower Ouseburn valley, with the river emptying into the north side of the River Tyne, to the south. The bridge was opened to pedestrians on 19 October 1878, and then to carts and carriages on 27 January 1879. There was originally a half penny toll, which was withdrawn on 12 April 1895. Originally 30.0 ft (9.15 m) wide, the bridge was widened to 50.0 ft (15.25 m) in 1899, by the addition of footpaths cantilevered out from the edge of the brickwork. The deck of the bridge was rebuilt during 1985/6 with the addition of pre-stressed concrete beams on cantilevers to support both footways and new crash barriers. It is one of three high-level bridges in close proximity making the same crossing, with the Byker Metro Bridge and then the Ouseburn railway viaduct both to the north (the S-shaped Metro bridge crosses over the road bridge at its eastern end).