SUMMARY

The North East of England has been a hub of mining activity throughout its recent history due to the abundance of large coal deposits in the region. The coal trade and the associated technologies developed by the collieries of Northumberland and Durham were a driving force behind some of the innovations of the Industrial Revolution. Waggonways of the region, as vital routes of commerce, became key testing grounds for civil engineering principles that would go on to influence the world. The excavation of William Brown’s Walbottle Moor Waggonway by Headland Archaeology (UK) Ltd in 2019 has provided insights into the construction of one such lifeline of industry. Excavated evidence combined with the documentary and cartographic sources has provided an opportunity to look in-depth at this waggonway. The phases of use, from construction to decommissioning, and the evolution of waggonway technologies in the region have been explored and engineering specific to the complex topography of the area is revealed. These revelations include the multiple phases of the waggonway, which indicate that an initial temporary trackway was used in the construction of the earthwork features along the line – a feature which is unique for the eighteenth century.

概括

由于该地区蕴藏着丰富的大型煤炭矿藏，英格兰东北部在其近代历史中一直是采矿活动的中心。诺森伯兰和达勒姆煤矿开发的煤炭贸易和相关技术是工业革命一些创新背后的驱动力。该地区的马车道路作为重要的商业路线，成为土木工程原理的重要试验场，这些原理将继续影响世界。2019 年，Headland Archaeology (UK) Ltd 对 William Brown 的 Walbottle Moor Waggonway 进行了挖掘，为建设这样一条工业生命线提供了见解。挖掘出的证据与文献和地图来源相结合，为深入研究这条马车通道提供了机会。使用阶段，从建设到退役，以及该地区货车通道技术的演变都得到了探索，并揭示了该地区复杂地形的具体工程。这些启示包括货车通道的多个阶段，这表明最初的临时轨道用于沿线土方特征的建设——这一特征在十八世纪是独一无二的。