TVCRP logo     

The Tyne Valley Railway

Helping everyone Explore the North sustainably by train   

Working with and for our local communities  

Community Rail Partnership Accreditation Logo

Cakes

We are delighted to announce the Water Tower is now open, featuring a cosy cafe with tables and chairs in the outdoor space overlooking the railway

As well as delicious coffee, you can choose from a range of hot and cold drinks, a range of cakes and traybakes, soup and sandwiches.

Take-away options are available allowing you to get a drink and something to eat to take with you on the train or the AD122 bus to Hadrian's Wall.

We will be adding to the menu and we would love to hear your suggestions about what you would like to see on the menu.

The cafe will be open Wednesday to Sundays 10am to 4pm.   

If you'd like to organise a special event at the Water Tower, please call in and we will be happy to discuss how we can help you.

There is step free access into the Water Tower with free car parking within 100 yards.

And you can get updates about what's on offer and events at the Water Tower on Facebook @WaterTowerHaltwhistle

 

Soup and a RollWe are a dog friendly cafe and our first canine visitor popped in to say hello to Julie and Jamie as we were setting up the cafe before opening. 

 

Spaniel pup Stella pops in to say helloMore about the Water Tower:

In 1825, the Newcastle & Carlisle Railway Company was formed, being one of the first of many railway companies in the UK. Work to construct the country’s first coast to coast railway route was completed in 1838 and trains first came to Haltwhistle that year.

Initially trains had limited water carrying capacity and filling their water carrying tanks was achieved by various means. As locomotives became bigger the need for more copious quantities of water grew to match the volume of steam required to power them. The proximity of the hills along the rail routes emanating from Haltwhistle made it a place where recharging of locomotive water tanks was necessary.

It was against this background that the water tower was built in 1861to provide a gravity fed water supply system essential to provide steam for railway locomotives.  By this stage the Newcastle & Carlisle Railway had been amalgamated into the North Eastern Railway.

The water was fed into and dispensed from the large tank above the building. Water dropped through 12-inch cast iron pipes and valves, through underground pipework to water dispensing devices, known as water cranes. The cranes were sited close to the tracks dispensing water under pressure to water carrying tenders or the tanks of locomotives. There were two, possibly three, water cranes at Haltwhistle.

Sadly, a water crane no longer remains in situ at Haltwhistle although the remains of one can be seen at the western end of Platform 2 (Carlisle bound platform). The water tank is an impressive sight above the building and the cast iron pipes remain inside the Water Tower.

The tank measures 2240 sq ft and has a maximum capacity of circa 14000 gallons. It is comprised of 4ft square cast iron sections/plates. Normally, it would have carried a working load of circa 12000 gallons and have a capacity to fill, without replenishment, around three locomotive tenders of the size used at the end of the steam locomotive era.

The original water source to fill the tank is unknown but may have been the nearby River Tyne. Railway companies were good at acquiring convenient supply sources!

Peter Tate designed the structure, and it was built by R Wylie and Co of Newcastle on Tyne. A commemorative plate is visible on the east elevation of the tank. The plate includes three castles from the Newcastle Coat of Arms and includes seahorses, which reflects the railway’s supporters.

Its use as a watering facility ended with the demise of the steam locomotive but there are reports of it being used for special steam trains in the 1980’s.

The building was restored in 1999 and has seen various uses since then. Recent restoration work has unveiled a fireplace. It is not known when the fireplace was built but it is in the part of the building  used as the Porter's Room..

As with other buildings, the signal box and the footbridge at the Haltwhistle Railway Station, the Water Tower is a Listed Building, having Grade 2 status since 1973.