# Newcastle Quayside Lead works explore



## Cerberus

Only thing I know about this place is that it was apparently a lead works but has been mostly demolished for a long time. There are a few Urbex reports about the laundry block that is one of only two parts remaining, but I found some interest bits of the other building which appears to have been involved in the production - but only after descenting the most dodgy spiral staircase in the world 

This is what it looked like in 1974:






And the sorry state its in today





This block is very chav'ed up as you'd expect with zero security.













The next block was more interesting





And then I found these totally knackered spiral stairs not actually secured to the wall anymore and repaired at some stage with a scaffolding pole as the central shaft. They looked like they'd collapse at any second but I took the risk and went down.

It was worth it as I found this room with various pipeworks and stuff. The stairs went down a further level but next floor down was flooded with an evil looking filthy liquid as you'll see.





Yes I climbed down these and went back up and they nearly collapsed into the flooded floor below!

















Finally a couple of random shots from the windows
The Tyne and gateshead/redheugh bridge





And the Dunston Rocket which is in the news at the moment


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## Foxylady

Interesting place, Cerberus. Good to see the pic of how it used to be. Love the spiral staircase...well done for braving it! 
Ta for sharing that.

Cheers


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## King Al

great location, super staircase very nice


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## smileysal

Like the pic of how it used to be, its a shame how it looks now  do like the spiral staircase, although i wouldn't like to be going either up or down it lol.

like the views through the window.

Cheers,

 Sal


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## WeeT

Like everyone else, I love the spiral staircase! Love the light shining threw in pic 6 aswell


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## Melvin Faust

Just found this thread whilst searching for info on Chester Lead Works. I was wandering around this part of Newcastle recently. This is what it looks like now




Behind the wall is an extensive patch of rubbish cluttered wasteland and the odd broken down wall - awaiting a 'major mixed development' as the sign says


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## Northern Exposure

Melvin Faust said:


> awaiting a 'major mixed development' as the sign says



Not disputing the sign but that site, a previous lead works, will take years of ground remediation to remove the heavy metals from the soils before anything is built there. They haven't started anything there yet so it's going to remain as it is for a while. I cant even see anyone footing the cost of demo'ing the existing building as the replacement retaining wall will cost them too much. The market needs to change first.


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## Melvin Faust

True enough NE. Wonder where the lead came from that was worked here? The remains in the earlier photos look far too modern to have any association with lead from the nearby North Pennine mines


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## Parkus.

Melvin Faust said:


> True enough NE. Wonder where the lead came from that was worked here? The remains in the earlier photos look far too modern to have any association with lead from the nearby North Pennine mines



I'm not sure what they mined, but there was alot of collierys in and around tyneside in the last 2 centuries.


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## Melvin Faust

Lead was mined in the North Pennines up until the early 20th century. The industry was virtually dead after the First World War although many of the mines were reworked for zinc and flourspar later in the 20th century. Coal was mined extensively on Tyneside and in Durham as everyone knows but I'm not aware of any other materials that were extracted there


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## Northern Exposure

Melvin Faust said:


> True enough NE. Wonder where the lead came from that was worked here? The remains in the earlier photos look far too modern to have any association with lead from the nearby North Pennine mines



Not sure of the source, but can be sure that it will have been sourced more cheaply elsewhere and imported until a point where the process side of the industry will have been beaten on price with abroad. This will have been roughly the same time the works closed as an ongoing venture. 
There are a few places like this on the NE coast whereby a massive investment at the height of productivity was later made a mockery of by cheap overseas labour and foreign imports.


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## Parkus.

Melvin Faust said:


> Lead was mined in the North Pennines up until the early 20th century. The industry was virtually dead after the First World War although many of the mines were reworked for zinc and flourspar later in the 20th century. Coal was mined extensively on Tyneside and in Durham as everyone knows but I'm not aware of any other materials that were extracted there



Answered your own question there havn't you.


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## BigLoada

This was ran by Walker & Parker and was part of Associated Lead, the sister company being Cookson's Chemical Works down at Willington.As Melvin says, the lead came from the Pennine orefield and around Alston moor.
The reason the industry collapsed was partly due to the expansion of lead mining in Spain at the time which was a lot cheaper than the stuff from the local orefield. Even when the Weardale Lead Co.. and Vielle Montagne took over operations in the late 19th century, the industry never really recovered.


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