Stanhope and Tyne Railway, Plot 1 Pattinson, Washington, Tyne and Wear- Survey and Evaluation

John Samuels Archaeological Consultants, acting on behalf of McLagan Investments Ltd, appointed Oxford Archaeology (North) to undertake archaeological works at Plot 1, Pattinson, North Walton Road, to the east of Washington, Tyne and Wear, immediately south of the A1231 to Sunderland (NGR NZ 32450 56500) (Fig 1). The development area includes a 100m stretch of the former Stanhope and Tyne Railway embankment. Following on from the cutting of a section through the embankment, to enable the construction of a haul road, a programme of work was requested by Tyne and Wear Archaeological Services to assess the survival of the embankment and trackbed within the development area. Following receipt of a brief from Tyne and Wear Archaeological Service, the programme of work was undertaken in April 2005.. The required archaeological works entailed the implementation of a rapid desk-based assessment, a topographic survey of the embankment and an evaluation of the extant earthwork.
During the rapid desk-based assessment, an historical background for the railway was researched using the Historic Environment Record for Tyne and Wear, the County Record Office in Durham, and the Sunderland Local Studies Centre. A map regression analysis was undertaken to trace the development of the site over time. This research indicated that the Stanhope and Tyne Railway opened in 1834, and underwent considerable fluctuations of fortune and numerous changes of name and ownership before finally closing in 1981.