Old Washington Way (Broomy), Wagonway

Alan Williams suggests that it is the earliest surviving plan of Washington Estate from the 1750s, shows Broomy Waggon Way running to a staith on the north bank of the River Wear at Cox Green. It was a short line, serving coal pits in Robert Shafto’s land in the south-east part of the estate. A map of 1764 included with a lease from Robert Shafto and Sir Gilfrid Lawson granting mining rights in Oxclose to a partnership led by a Newark Hudson, shows that the waggonway was extended to serve coal pits in this new area. The partnership built a waggonway 14 yards wide with one main way and one bye way with a staith 60 yards long and 20 yards wide at Cox Green. Around the same time, Lawson and Shafto granted a wayleave to Lord Ravensworth, Mary Bowes and John, Earl of Bute (the ‘Grand Allies’) from their Mount Moor Colliery which connected with the existing waggonway but used a new staith on Shafto’s land to the west. A bridge was also built to cross the significant valley of the Oxclose Burn.

In 1801, a new waggonway was constructed by the Grand Allies from Urpeth Colliery joining with the existing Broomy Waggonway at Mount Moor and on to the River Wear. Again, this ran to a new staith, this time to the east of the early staith on land owned by Sir Henry Vane. By this time, the Waggonway had become known as the Old Washington Way to distinguish it from Rudston's new route (HER2610) opened in 1787.