Victoria Tunnel WW2 Voices
Victoria Tunnel, Ouse Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear, NE1 2DQ
For Heritage Open Days 2024, Ouseburn Trust would like to welcome you to free guided taster tours of the Victoria Tunnel.
The Victoria Tunnel is a preserved 19th century waggonway, running under the city of Newcastle from the Town Moor to the Tyne. Originally built in 1838 by engineer William Gillespie to to transport coal from Spital Tongues Colliery to the river, the Tunnel was converted in 1939 into an air raid shelter to protect thousands of Newcastle citizens during World War II -- but was then sealed up and left forgotten for 60 years. In 2008 the Victoria Tunnel was carefully repaired and opened for guided tours with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, led by the Ouseburn Trust's award winning volunteer guides.
Tours will last around 20 minutes, with a chance to see the bowels of the city for yourself. Learn what it was like to shelter and play in the Tunnel when it was air raid shelter. Listen to the memories from people who lived and worked around Ouseburn, and how WW2 impacted their everyday lives.
Victoria Tunnel, Ouse Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear, NE1 2DQ
Due to historic blast walls we are unable to take wheelchairs into the tunnel.