Smugglers’ Hole: The Hidden Coal Mine and Illicit Still Beneath Newcastle
What if an ordinary-looking piece of Newcastle’s landscape once concealed a secret underground distillery?
In 1822, Newcastle Excise Officers were led to an abandoned coal mine near St Nicholas’s cemetery, close to Fenham Hall on Nun’s Moor.
Hidden beneath scrub and undergrowth was a shaft leading down into the old mine workings.
And inside?
Two stills.
Around 200 gallons of ‘wash’.
A complete distilling apparatus.
Coal for fuel.
A ready supply of water.
And a brick chimney cleverly constructed to carry the smoke away through the old workings.
It was an illicit distillery hidden underground, and the place would become known as Smugglers’ Hole.
But the discovery was only the beginning of the story.
Once word spread, curiosity drew hundreds of people to the abandoned workings. Some ventured underground simply to explore. One group of three young men would discover just how dangerous that curiosity could become when they became lost in the darkness.
This fascinating piece of Newcastle’s local history was researched and written by David Wardell.
His research takes us beneath the streets and familiar landmarks of the modern city, into a landscape of medieval coal workings, forgotten mine passages and an illicit still that existed almost two centuries ago.
And it is a wonderful reminder that the history of a place is not always visible above ground.
Sometimes, it is hidden beneath our feet.
David Wardell: Exploring Newcastle’s Hidden History
David Wardell explored the history of Newcastle through the surviving records, maps and stories that reveal how its landscape changed over time.
In this article, David brings together two remarkable stories connected with Smugglers’ Hole, a place rooted in Newcastle’s medieval coal-mining landscape and later remembered for the illicit distillery discovered there in 1822.
His original research follows the story from the history of coal mining in the North East, through the discovery of the illicit still, to the extraordinary account of three young men who became lost while exploring the underground workings.
The Coal Mines Beneath Newcastle
As reported in various sources, Newcastle Excise Officers were supplied with information by a confederate that led to the discovery on 31st May 1822, of an illicit distillery inside an old coal mine accessed by a shaft leading down from a field at the side of St.Nicholas’s cemetery near Fenham Hall on Nun’s Moor.
The Medieval Coal Mines of the North East
The ancient mine was well screened by scrubby bushes and undergrowth and at the bottom of the shaft, (after a long gradual descent), there was a small hole big enough to crawl through. Passed the entrance hole they discovered a large ‘apartment’ in which they found two stills containing around 200 gallons of ‘wash’ and with a complete distilling apparatus considered to be worth about £50.00. A long brick chimney had been built leading in to the workings of the old pit which was used to convey the smoke from the still.
The Discovery of the Illicit Still
There were also connections to adjoining pits and coal that still remained unworked and had been used to provide fuel for the still, with a ready supply of water also being available. A perfect set up for the stills with full supply of all their needs and a high degree of secrecy.
This discovery had first been made by a confederate, and the place later became known as “Smugglers’ Hole”. (Subsequently the property of Mr. Richard Wardle) [ See Parson & White Directory 1827 p. 55, and also “Local Records” by John Sykes – Google Books ]
Where Was Smugglers’ Hole?
Historic maps help us place this forgotten story within the landscape of Newcastle.
David’s research identifies Smugglers’ Hole beside St Nicholas’s cemetery on the 1869 proposed plan of Town Moor.
A proposed plan of Town Moor 1869 Newcastle City Libraries
The location of Smugglers’ Hole shown on a later Ordnance Survey map.
‘Smugglers Hole’ bottom left at left side of St.Nicholas’ cemetery (Arrowed)
The Smuggler’s Hole (marked with a red X ) would have been sited about half way between Studley Terrace and Severus Road at the rear of Wingrove Avenue , at the back of the Old Newcastle General Hospital.
It is also marked on the older OS maps as “Smugglers Hole” (Alan Godfreys copy of the 1913 OS map covering Arthur’s Hill & Fenham).
Old maps can sometimes reveal features that have completely disappeared from the modern landscape. Comparing maps from different periods is one of the ways we can discover what once stood on or around a property.
Lost Beneath Newcastle
Once news of Smugglers’ Hole spread, curiosity drew hundreds of visitors to the old workings.
Some ventured underground simply to explore.
But the old mine was far more extensive — and dangerous — than many visitors realised.
David draws on John Sykes’s Local Records, published in 1824, for the extraordinary account of three young men who ventured into the workings in June 1822.
“As soon as the discovery was known, hundreds of persons visited the place, many of whom were induced to explore “The Smuggler’s Hole,” as it was now called, and some who ventured into it had to stay much longer than they calculated on. About four o’clock on the morning of the 6th of June, three young men, to gratify their curiosity, ventured in about a mile, it was supposed, from the entrance. They had provided themselves with candles, which they considered sufficient for their purpose; they had, however, proceeded too far, and not having marked their way, were unable to retrace their steps, and their candles being nearly consumed, they were reduced to the necessity of making a fire with a hammer handle (which they had with them for the purpose of knocking off petrifications) and some pieces of coal which they found in the place.
As the day advanced their friends became alarmed for their safety, and about twelve o’clock, some pitmen coming to the place, kindly offered their assistance, and, after some time, found the young men, who had been listening with much anxiety to hear the approach of any deliverer. They had not followed these friendly men afar, when he who carried the candle stumbled, and they were again in total darkness; and such was the difficulty of their situation, that even with these experienced guides, they were obliged to continue in this dreary cavern several hours longer, when other two pitmen proceeded in, and extricated the whole about half-past four o’clock in the afternoon, the young men having been under ground without any food upwards of twelve hours.
The roof and floor of the cavity were covered with very curious petrifications, called stalactites, formed by the drippings of water. Several other persons were liberated by pitmen, so that it became necessary to build up the aperture; but such was the curiosity of the public, that the mason work was soon demolished.”
A Landscape That Has Changed
Today, it is difficult to imagine this hidden world beneath Newcastle.
The fields, mine workings and open landscape described in these records have been transformed by roads, streets, buildings and decades of urban development.
But the maps allow us to glimpse what was there before.
And this is where local history becomes particularly fascinating.
Because when we look closely at the history of a house, we are not only looking at the building itself.
We are looking at the landscape around it.
What Was Here Before Your House?
A house rarely stands alone in history.
Before a street became a street, there may have been fields, farms, tracks, streams, quarries, mines or long-forgotten buildings.
The names may have disappeared.
The landscape may have changed.
And yet traces can remain in old maps, newspapers, directories, deeds and other surviving records.
That is why local history can add such depth to house history.
The story of Smugglers’ Hole is a wonderful example. What appears today to be an entirely different landscape once contained an underground world of coal workings, an illicit distillery and people whose curiosity led them deep beneath the ground.
The history of a house begins with the place it occupies.
And sometimes, discovering that history means looking far beyond the front door.
The Art of House History isn’t only about beautiful houses.
It’s about learning to see the layers of history that surround them.
Curious about the history of your own house?
Every property has a story and sometimes the most fascinating clues are found in the records surrounding it.
Discover more about researching your house history →