Over the last decade or so, Newcastle's Victoria Tunnel has earned a reputation as one the region's foremost visitor attractions - but now it's gone one step further.
Online travel site Tripadvisor has just named the Tyneside historical marvel among the top 10% of attractions in the world and handed it a 2022 Travellers’ Choice award. The tunnel's coordinator Clive Goodwin hailed the accolade and attributed the attraction's ongoing success to its "brilliant team of tour guides".
The Victoria Tunnel runs from the north of Newcastle, under the city, down to where the Ouseburn enters the Tyne. It marked its 180th anniversary earlier this year, having opened in January 1842 as an underground wagonway, taking coal from the long-demolished Spital Tongues Colliery to waiting ships on the bustling river.
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By 1860 the coal reserves were exhausted and the tunnel fell into disuse until, in the middle of the last century, it was used as an air-raid shelter during the early years of World War II when it provided sanctuary for up to 9,000 people in Newcastle as German bombs fell on the region.
A section of the 2.4-mile tunnel in the Ouseburn area has been open to the public since 2010, becoming a favourite city attraction with lots of regular guided tours, schools visits and musical events taking place. Before the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown, the Victoria Tunnel was receiving 15,000 visitors every year - and the numbers are once again rising.
"The classification from Tripadvisor is based on the consistently excellent reviews and five-star ratings we've received on the site over the last eight or nine years," says Clive Goodwin. "We're already rated at number one of 299 things to do in Newcastle by the site. To be placed in the top 10% of worldwide attractions and gain a place in the Hall Of Fame is fantastic news, and credit to all of the hard work many people have put in over the last 12 years since the Ouseburn Trust took over and began running tunnel tours."
Clive points out how the reviews on Tripadvisor are consistently positive with 90% of visitors deeming their experience 'excellent'. "Many of the reviews home in on the ingenuity of the Victorian engineers who constructed the tunnel, " he says. "Others remark how horrible it must have been to shelter down there during the war. But most mention how brilliant our tour guides are."
The latest Tripadvisor reviews for July include one from Paul D of Berwick who posted: "Well, what can I say, but this was an amazing experience, learning about the Victorians and also about what happened during the war. Myself and my wife thoroughly enjoyed our trip, made all the better with our guides Pete and Dave who were very knowledgeable and humorous."
Meanwhile, Betsy W from Alameda, California, USA, posted: "Kay and Pete were great guides. The tour was a perfect combination of walking, listening, education and fun. Highly recommend."
The man who has overseen much of the Victoria Tunnel's rise to popularity over the last decade or so, Clive Goodwin, was recently announced as a winner in Visit England's Unsung Hero awards. Now, after 12 years at the helm as Coordinator, Clive is preparing to step down in August.
"At the age of 75," he says, "and after 12 wonderful years at the Ouseburn Trust, it's time to retire and spend more time with my family and grandchildren. A new role, Programmes Manager, is now being advertised." Find out more about the Victoria Tunnel and Ouseburn Trust on their website ouseburntrust.org.uk
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