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George Stephenson’s Birthplace

With RoadTour you can hear about George Stephenson’s Birthplace and over 1500 other UK Heritage sites via your SatNav or Mobile as you drive! Pub & Restaurant guides also available. Buy RoadTour now online for your vacation to the UK...

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“A small, white stone miner’s cottage in Wylam is the birthplace of world-famous railway engineer, George Stephenson who went on to build the first public railway line in the world for steam locomotives, and to be known as ‘Father of the Railways’. The cottage where George was born has been furnished to reflect domestic living in 1781 – the year that he was born. Mining accommodation was basic, and the whole family lived in one main room. His father, Robert was the fireman for Wylam Colliery pumping engine, earning a low wage, so that there was no money for schooling. At 17, young Stephenson became an engineman at a local colliery. He realised the value of education, and paid to study reading, writing, and arithmetic at night school. George went on to design his first locomotive for hauling coal on the Killingworth wagonway. His efforts did not pass unnoticed. George Stephenson soon became the role model for many a reluctant school child in Victorian England. In 1821, Stephenson and his 18-year-old son, Robert, began work to improve the quality and performance of train lines. His rail gauge of 4 ft 8½ in, sometimes called the "Stephenson gauge", is the world's standard gauge for railway lines. The cottage is Northumbria's smallest National Trust property - after a visit one can also enjoy what is now a picturesque and peaceful riverside walk along the old Wylam Colliery wagon line, once much busier and noisier when the line was used to take coal down to the River Tyne- before closure in 1868. ”

Address:

Wylam, Northumberland
NE41 8BP
Visit Website

Opening Hours:

17 Mar-28 Oct: Thur-Sun 12-5pm

Prices:

Adult: £1.80
Child £0.90

Facilties:

See more Historic Homes in North of England:

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