South Tyneside History
| Title | Johnson Cottage, Lawe Top |
|---|---|
| Reference Number | STH0002835 |
| Photographer | Unknown |
| Town or Village | South Shields |
| Date | c1846-1862 |
| Original Format | Black and white photograph |
| Period | Victorian (1837-1901) |
| Copyright | South Tyneside Libraries |
| Further Information | Johnson's Cottage, Lawe Top, corner of Trajan Avenue, was the home of Wm. Meldrum Johson who was the engineer and general foreman for Thomas Salmon at the Ballast Wharf, Pilot Street, S.S. from 1846-1862. In the 19th Century, two ballast railways ran across the Lawe, one after the other, and were the means not only of heightening it but also extending it to the east. The Fairles Railway ran from the west across Mile End Road to the edge of the Lawe Top. The second, Salmons Railway, ran from the river approximately opposite the North Shields Fish Quay to and beyond what is now known as Trinity Towers, (now demolished), the Radar Station, so that the sea bank of Lawe Top was greatly extended. Salmons Ballast Railway was constructed in 1846, and ran from the Ballast Wharf, across the Low Street on gears and was carried by a tunnel under Wellington Street and by bridges over Mile End Road to the Lawe, the ballast being hauled up by a stationary engine near Trinity Towers. The huge mounds of ballast so accumulated formed an eyesore for years, until removed for the making of the parks and recreation ground. |
