Tyne Pedestrian Tunnel
The Tyne Cyclist and Pedestrian Tunnel was Britain's first purpose-built cycling tunnel. I remember originally seeing it marked on the OS map, running under the River Tyne between Howdon and Jarrow, almost parallel to the Tyne Road Tunnel.
It was actually opened long before the road tunnel, in 1951, at the time of the Festival of Britain. Back then, the tunnels were put to good use by local shipyard workers with as 20,000 people a day passing through. There are actually two separate tunnels running alongside, one for pedestrians and the other for cyclists. Both are 900 feet (270 m) in length, and lie 40 feet (12.2 m) below the river bed. They're now 60 years old and are Grade II listed buildings.
I remember being amazed the first time I visited, not least by the escalators. There were two sets at either side with no less than 306 wooden steps each. When they were installed, they were the highest single-rise escalators in the UK, with a vertical rise of 85 feet (26 m) and a length of 197 feet (60 m). Significantly, the escalators remain the longest wooden escalators in the world, although sadly they are no longer operational.
As part of an extensive programme of repairs and renovations to the tunnels, one set of escalators from each side have been removed and replaced by a funicular style lift, however, after reopening the tunnels late last year, these two lifts are still waiting to be commissioned. The latest news seems to be some time this month, but they weren't operating when I visited this last week. If you feel so inclined, you can still walk up and down the now static remaining escalators, although it can prove to be a bit of a dizzy experience.
On my latest visit, I watched a as a couple of retired gentlemen from Sunderland seemed to take an eternity to climb down the long escalator steps. They said they'd never visited before and that it had been something they'd wanted to see for a long time and had it on their bucket list!
There is also a lift either side too, just in case you don't like the vertigo-inducing steps.
Tyne Pedestrian Tunnel
The Tyne Cyclist and Pedestrian Tunnel was Britain's first purpose-built cycling tunnel. I remember originally seeing it marked on the OS map, running under the River Tyne between Howdon and Jarrow, almost parallel to the Tyne Road Tunnel.
It was actually opened long before the road tunnel, in 1951, at the time of the Festival of Britain. Back then, the tunnels were put to good use by local shipyard workers with as 20,000 people a day passing through. There are actually two separate tunnels running alongside, one for pedestrians and the other for cyclists. Both are 900 feet (270 m) in length, and lie 40 feet (12.2 m) below the river bed. They're now 60 years old and are Grade II listed buildings.
I remember being amazed the first time I visited, not least by the escalators. There were two sets at either side with no less than 306 wooden steps each. When they were installed, they were the highest single-rise escalators in the UK, with a vertical rise of 85 feet (26 m) and a length of 197 feet (60 m). Significantly, the escalators remain the longest wooden escalators in the world, although sadly they are no longer operational.
As part of an extensive programme of repairs and renovations to the tunnels, one set of escalators from each side have been removed and replaced by a funicular style lift, however, after reopening the tunnels late last year, these two lifts are still waiting to be commissioned. The latest news seems to be some time this month, but they weren't operating when I visited this last week. If you feel so inclined, you can still walk up and down the now static remaining escalators, although it can prove to be a bit of a dizzy experience.
On my latest visit, I watched a as a couple of retired gentlemen from Sunderland seemed to take an eternity to climb down the long escalator steps. They said they'd never visited before and that it had been something they'd wanted to see for a long time and had it on their bucket list!
There is also a lift either side too, just in case you don't like the vertigo-inducing steps.