Turn back 55ft below

IT was a case of tunnel vision for the Victorians who embarked on an engineering feat under the streets of Newcastle.

When the Victoria Tunnel opened in 1842, the one aim was to transport coal quickly and efficiently for 2.5 miles from Leazes Main colliery at Spital Tongues to the mouth of the Ouseburn for shipping from the Tyne.

Coal wagons descended by gravity down the incline to the riverside and were hauled back up by a stationary steam engine.

“The tunnel was never meant for people at the time it was built,” said tunnel co-ordinator Clive Goodwin.

But today, it’s not pits but people as the tunnel caters for 15,000 visitors a year who roll up for tours led by volunteer guides, with Trip Advisor making it Newcastle’s top attraction.

Last year 60 school groups, totalling 2,200 youngsters, also visited, and the tunnel took a step further than tours when it staged an art exhibition.

“It led us to think that we could other things, and it’s gone from strength to strength,” said Clive.

Activities have ranged from the Cobweb Orchestra from the Sage Gateshead performing in the tunnel, to the staging of a drama based on the ordeal of 33 Chilean miners who were trapped underground for 69 days in 2010 before being rescued.

The school workshops feature Second World War or Victorian themes; the tunnel served as an air raid shelter during the war.

Youngsters spend half their time in