On Thu, 24 Feb 2005 19:53:00 +0000, nick
Post by nickWhat is or was Smugglers Hole, shown on the 1859 to 1921 OS plans
adjacent to St Nicholas Cemetery? Have tried googling for this but to
no avail.
Hi Nick
I'm sure this was discussed on ULG yonks ago.
Here is some information:
It is situated within the grounds of St Nicholas Cemetery, which is
behind the General Hospital (accessible via Nunns Moor Road).
This appears to be one of those stories which at first you would think
was an Urban Myth.
However, I have seen quite a few mentions of The Smugglers Cave, the
very latest in a copy of The History of Newcastle General Hospital
1870 to 1966. So I reckon it did exist, indeed it is marked on the
older OS maps as "Smugglers Hole" (Alan Godfreys copy of the 1913 OS
map covering Arthur's Hill & Fenham).
I did go to St Nicholas's Cemetery but there is nothing at all to
indicate where the shaft was - I suppose the "Authorities" would have
had to do something about the hole - I mean, can you imagine what
folks would get up to down there these days!!!!.
Here's an interesting extract from John Sykes of 1822
May 31st 1822
In consequence of information to the excise officers of Newcastle, an
illicit distillery was discovered in the waste of an old coal mine, in
a field near Fenham Hall, adjoining the Town-moor. The mine appeared
to be one of the most ancient in that part of the country, and was
surrounded by furze and underwood. At the bottom of the shaft, which
was gained by a gradual descent of several yards, was a small aperture
like the mouth of an oven, which could only be entered by crawling;
this led to a large apartment in the mine, wherein were found two
stills, with about 200 gallons of wash, and a complete distillery
apparatus, valued in all at about £50. It appeared to have been
abruptly abandoned for fear of detection. A long chimney, built with
brick, conveyed the smoke into the old workings, whence the
neighbouring pits had a draught. The coal of the mine supplied the
fuel necessary for the work; water was also found upon the spot. As
soon as the discovery was known, hundreds of persons visited the
place, many of whom were induced to explore "The Smuggler's Hole," as
it was now called, and some who ventured into it had to stay much
longer than they calculated on. About four o'clock on the morning of
the 6th of June, three young men, to gratify their curiosity, ventured
in about a mile, it was supposed, from the entrance. They had provided
themselves with candles, which they considered sufficient for their
purpose; they had, however, proceeded too far, and not having marked
their way, were unable to retrace their steps, and their candles being
nearly consumed, they were reduced to the necessity of making a fire
with a hammer handle (which they had with them for the purpose of
knocking off petrifications) and some pieces of coal which they found
in the place. As the day advanced their friends became alarmed for
their safety, and about twelve o'clock, some pitmen coming to the
place, kindly offered their assistance, and, after some time, found
the young men, who had been listening with much anxiety to hear the
approach of any deliverer. They had not followed these friendly men
afar, when he who carried the candle stumbled, and they were again in
total darkness; and such was the difficulty of their situation, that
even with these experienced guides, they were obliged to continue in
this dreary cavern several hours longer, when other two pitmen
proceeded in, and extricated the whole about half-past four o'clock in
the afternoon, the young men having been under ground without any food
upwards of twelve hours. The roof and floor of the cavity were covered
with very curious petrifications, called stalactites, formed by the
drippings of water.
Several other persons were liberated by pitmen, so that it became
necessary to build up the aperture; but such was the curiosity of the
public, that the mason work was soon demolished.
John Sykes - Local Records volume 2
Cheors
Steve E.
Whitley Bay, North East England
Tyneside & Northumberland Local History Group at:
www.smartgroups.com/groups/tyneside
For photographs of the Newcastle Upon Tyne area go to:
www.steve-ellwood.org.uk
www.geordies.force9.co.uk
"Geordie goes beyond mere geography and is a quality of heart"