George Stephenson's Birthplace

Sitting beside Wylam's historic Waggonway, on the idyllic banks of the Tyne, you'll discover the humble birthplace of great railway pioneer, George Stephenson. 

It's astonishing to think that this stone cottage was where a young George and his entire family lived, in just one room. At the time of George’s birth in 1781, the house - known as High Street House - was divided into tenements for four families. Outside, ran the wooden waggonway along which horses pulled 'chaldrons' containing coal from Wylam Colliery to the Tyne quayside.

George worked with his father at the colliery moving coal and driving the gin horses. Showing promise and ambition, George soon gained the post of engineman at a pit down the Tyne near Newburn. A great career had begun. The Liverpool to Manchester Railway opened on 15^th September 1830. And just the day before, Stephenson’s 'Rocket' won the competition for the engine to pull the waggons to Rainhill (Manchester); the others did not finish the course.

Visitors can walk or cycle along the Wylam Waggonway, which runs past the Birthplace, and follow the course of the River Tyne, spotting a variety of wildlife along the way.