# Victoria Garesfield Tunnel, Gateshead 6/8



## stesh (Jun 22, 2008)

Thought I'll share a little place I know that's on my doorstep, this railway tunnel was part of the Victoria Garesfield Colliery which closed down in 1960's

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=54.916105&lon=-1.775685&z=18.2&r=0&src=msa


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## BigLoada (Jun 22, 2008)

Nice, I didn't know about this one. Pity its blocked. That Blaydon brick is cool, I don't have one of them.


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## Engineer (Jun 22, 2008)

*Garesfield Tunnel.*

Interesting pics, how long is the tunnel?


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## stesh (Jun 22, 2008)

Engineer said:


> Interesting pics, how long is the tunnel?



Looking through the hole in the bricks, I could see light from vents at the other end, guessing I would say 20-30 metres tops.


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## Engineer (Jun 22, 2008)

stesh said:


> Looking through the hole in the bricks, I could see light from vents at the other end, guessing I would say 20-30 metres tops.




OK, looking at the portal it stirs the imagination. Interesting refuge with holes in brickwork, was wondering if they were drilled holes?


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## Foxylady (Jun 22, 2008)

BigLoada said:


> That Blaydon brick is cool, I don't have one of them.



Daft question, but do you collect bricks? I have a nice mental image of a few bricks on your mantlepiece at home. 



Engineer said:


> Interesting refuge with holes in brickwork, was wondering if they were drilled holes?



Any idea what the holes were used for?

Interesting tunnel, stesh...and a totally delightful setting.


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## smileysal (Jun 23, 2008)

Love the setting, and the brick work. Are there any bats in the tunnel at all? I know sometimes when tunnels or buildings are bricked up with a small hole at each end its for the bats to get in and out. Just a thought.

Cheers,

 Sal


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## stesh (Jun 23, 2008)

The holes on refuges looked more to decorative than to have a purpose? On the bat side? they wasn't any opening on the side shown,(apart from where some charvars have knocked some bricks out recently) the otherside looked to be grilled.
I shall take a torch next and have a proper nose.


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## BigLoada (Jun 23, 2008)

Foxylady said:


> Daft question, but do you collect bricks? I have a nice mental image of a few bricks on your mantlepiece at home.



Well...yes...but only colliery bricks, the ones with the name of the colliery on them. That Blaydon one isn't a colliery one but it is still cool as it was made by the Blaydon Firebrick and Sanitary Tube Works. (I love that term Sanitary Tube)

And they are in the garage unfortunately, not the house


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## Foxylady (Jun 23, 2008)

BigLoada said:


> ... the ones with the name of the colliery on them... And they are in the garage unfortunately, not the house



I sort of gathered that they wouldn't be just any old brick.  Neat! I have a nice little run of ancestors who were all brick-makers and I'm really into old brickwork myself. None on my mantlepiece though...just some nice rocks, fossils and a piece of terracotta tile from a Roman villa.


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## OSPA (Jun 24, 2008)

BigLoada said:


> Well...yes...but only colliery bricks, the ones with the name of the colliery on them. That Blaydon one isn't a colliery one but it is still cool as it was made by the Blaydon Firebrick and Sanitary Tube Works. (I love that term Sanitary Tube)
> 
> And they are in the garage unfortunately, not the house



Lol, I thought the same thing as Foxy lady! Perhaps one day you will have enough bricks to build some sort of haven for us Urbex folk, somewhere that we can drink, chat etc without 'the man' discovering us.


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