Norman Dunn's 'Hebburn and our Neighbours Forum'

Norman Dunn's 'Hebburn and our Neighbours Forum'
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Mill Lane Reservoir again

Posted by AJG on 9/10/2025, 5:55 pm

A little while ago we had some discussion of the covered reservoir at the junction of Mill Lane and Victoria Road West. I have written up a blog post about it if anyone would like to read it.

As always, corrections and additions are appreciated!

Mill Lane Reservoir

Re: Mill Lane Reservoir again

Posted by Colin Thompson on 9/10/2025, 6:20 pm, in reply to "Mill Lane Reservoir again"

I was born and raised in Hartleyburn Ave and played on the reservoir many times but never saw any boy's walk through it. As far as I know it always contained water.

Re: Mill Lane Reservoir again

Posted by Norman Dunn on 9/10/2025, 6:29 pm, in reply to "Mill Lane Reservoir again"

Very good write up Andrew.
When it was used as an air raid shelter in WW2 it had obviously been drained.
My dad born in 1922 always knew Mill Lane as 'The Waterworks Road'

Re: Mill Lane Reservoir again

Posted by Allan C. on 10/10/2025, 5:37 am, in reply to "Re: Mill Lane Reservoir again"

Whenever we played on the Reservoir it seemed to have water in it.

Some lads went inside I understand and I only went in to the drop off. From memory the floor or water level was about 6 feet below entry level but I could be wrong.

I suspect that it began to take in water after the war.

From the various photos that I have seen, when was the grassed embankment around it built? Was the embankment always there or only put there 1938ish.

From the photo with the Technical College showing part of the embankment removed, the side of the structure is like barrels stood on end. Not a pretty sight so maybe that’s why the embankment was installed however the embankment could have to give strength to the structure.

The entrance on Victoria Road side was at ground level and as far as I can remember flat going in until the drop off.

So why was the structure so high? No water above outside ground level. Was the additional height for ventilation ?

I doubt that we will ever know unless the design plans are found.

I remember sledging down the South side in winter as the fence further away from the bottom of the slope. The grass fires that some lads lit. Playing football etc. around the vents on the top.

Climbing up onto the top of that building on the SW corner getting easier as we grew in height.

Re: Mill Lane Reservoir again

Posted by AJG on 10/10/2025, 7:49 pm, in reply to "Re: Mill Lane Reservoir again"

Thanks Allan C. and everyone for your comments!

Re: Mill Lane Reservoir again

Posted by Sheila on 10/10/2025, 9:00 pm, in reply to "Re: Mill Lane Reservoir again"

I think there was a barrage ballon at the top of Mill Lane in WW2 . I wonder what year it was removed.

Search Lights on Mill Lane

Posted by Norman on 11/10/2025, 9:24 am, in reply to "Re: Mill Lane Reservoir again"

There might have been barrage balloons on Mill Lane Sheila, but there was definitely an American searchlight battalion (The Skylighters) there to defend against air attacks. They used large searchlights to track enemy aircraft, providing defense for our area.
One of the battalions was stationed at the Red Barns area of Mill Lane over the railway bridge on the right before you got to the main Shields to White Mare Pool road.
Mike Ellison wrote about this many years ago.

Re: Search Lights on Mill Lane

Posted by Sheila on 11/10/2025, 10:47 am, in reply to "Search Lights on Mill Lane"

Norman, I was too young to remember it in WW2. Just seem to have a memory of one of my sisters explaining to me what it was.

Re: Mill Lane Reservoir again

Posted by neil coltman on 16/10/2025, 7:58 pm, in reply to "Re: Mill Lane Reservoir again"

Missed this post as I was on holiday. I lived at no8 mill lane and new neighbours at 4,6 no2 was the res house years ago. I played on the Res from around 75 onwards. Great times before and after Gary Drakes dads firm demolished it around 76/75 not sure. When it was just a mound of earth after demo we all used to sit on the top of the mound and watch the world go by. Happy days.

For AJG

Posted by Allan C. on 12/10/2025, 4:03 am, in reply to "Re: Mill Lane Reservoir again"

When was it built and where did the water go.? The steelworks in Jarrow ? The chemical works in Hebburn?

What part did the Lakes play in water supply.

Water from the Reservoir was it treated for human consumption?

Did the water it contained come from a borehole?

The water must have been pumped down pipe work under Victoria Road West or Shields Road as it was in earlier days.

That pipe work may probably still there and could have been reused for other purposes.

Was the building on Mill Lane both a pump house and a caretakers home.

I think there were stairs up to the top next to that building and that’s where the main entrance gate was.

The entrance on Victoria Road side had its own gate and I cannot remember there being a footpath from that entrance round to the pump house, maybe there was but overgrown.

When they decided to demolish the structure there must have been a survey carried out and I would assume detailed plans made especially if the land was going to be to be built on.

It’s odd that the housing is sort of around the edge of the Reservoir say on the land where the old embankments were but not on the Reservoir it’s self ? That area unstable and too expensive to stabilise the whole area for buildings.

The buildings are built on where the edges of the Reservoir were.

I doubt that we will ever know.

Allan C.

Re: For AJG

Posted by Mac Hardy on 12/10/2025, 12:49 pm, in reply to "For AJG"

The land is now St. Joseph’s Court where we bought a proper when new.

Re: For AJG

Posted by Mac Hardy on 13/10/2025, 11:02 am, in reply to "Re: For AJG"

Should read Property !

Re: For Allan C - Thank you!!

Posted by AJG on 13/10/2025, 2:29 am, in reply to "For AJG"

Thanks for your interesting observations. I'll try to incorporate some of them into the blog post and will credit you.

I hadn't thought about St. Joseph's Court being built around the edges of the reservoir but when I look at the satellite images it does look as though you are right! How interesting!

For AJG

Posted by Allan C. on 13/10/2025, 11:02 am, in reply to "Re: For Allan C - Thank you!!"

Not that I would ever move back to Hebburn but I would not buy one of those houses as they are partially on the Reservoir and part on the embankments ( not our type of house)

Why possible subsidence, was the backfilling done correctly.

The material used to fill the voids should be good quality brickwork from the arches so I would assume very solid ground.

However if the backfill is that good why was the rest of the area not built on? Maybe it’s just me but was it thought a step too far!

I would assume that the works and house building was done by a good company and overlooked by the council engineers.

That the owners have been able to get house insurance for those properties must mean the insurance companies are happy to insure them. They must have suitable documented information.

Maybe it’s just me but having worked in the construction industry for years seen questionable things.

A few days ago saw an item on a building site in London and it’s built around a 13 C church Tower which has been completely supported by huge groundwork’s and is now about 45 meters up in the air.

The church tower is going to remain as a focal point for the whole development. The planning that’s must have gone into that WOW

Re: Mill Lane Reservoir again

Posted by Rjw on 13/10/2025, 10:53 am, in reply to "Mill Lane Reservoir again"

We used to squeeze between the metal bars and go down the steps into the reservoir. It had puddles down there. I remember there being heaps of stuff under each of the vents with decades of kids putting various items down the vents. Thanks for the photo AJG, never thought I’d see that again

Re: Mill Lane Reservoir again

Posted by Norman on 13/10/2025, 6:44 pm, in reply to "Re: Mill Lane Reservoir again"

Builders dont build on where there was once a large hole in the ground or a Pit Shaft when there is plenty solid land around that area for building on. Its common sense & much cheaper.The same principle was used when builing houses in Colliery areas.They grass over or put parking spaces where the Pit Shafts were and build houses around it.

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