Felling Way III (John Wilkinson)

On the death of the second Sir William Blackett in 1705, his viewer and partner, John Wilkinson, continued his business. He used Felling Staith for the development of an important complex of three distinct collieries – Low Felling, High Felling with Heworth, and Carr Hill – and linked them by extension to Harrison’s waggonway (Felling II). The link from High Heworth to Felling II had been made by 1708 when “Gateside and Heworth Mr Wilkinson” were given a large vend quota of 1400T, equalling Stella or Chopwell.
To take advantage of such a large quota Wilkinson needed considerable investment and intensive working, apparent later in ground disturbance and, possibly, in Carr Hill reservoir required for waterpower. The waggonway also justified some fairly heavy engineering and an embankment still stands and is Felling’s only visible relic. Somewhere neat Elliot Street in Sunderland Road, this new way was joined to Harrison’s reconstruction of Brandling’s original Felling Waggonway. In 1976, during the building of the industrial estate, a stretch of wooden track was found which appears to have been part of this way.
It is unknown when the Carr Hill way was finally closed; it was still in operation in 1737 and a plan of a few decades later shows an extension to Sheriff Hill running from the east side of Carr Hill, across Pottersway and roughly parallel to Broadway.
Carr Hill Way was also among the many waggonways whose traffic was not restricted to coal. Cotesworth made use of it in the 1720s for coal and probably for grindstone quarried on Gateshead Fell.