Horse & Wagon Field

The Horse and Wagon field contains the mine water pumping station. Here we have created an informal nature reserve to enhance the environment for wildlife and local residents. The site includes local wildflowers, meadow grasses and trees along with a wetland to increase biodiversity and remove pollutants from the surface water running off the A689.  

Wildflowers in the Horse & Wagon field

Wetland in the Horse & Wagon field

We have also used metal-rich material dug out of local rivers to create an area where metal-loving “calaminarian” plants can grow. We are hoping to be able to harvest seeds from this “nursery” so we can plant them elsewhere in the North Pennines. In the first year, several plants grew by themselves – Pyrenean scurvy-grass and Alpine pennycress. 

The transformation of the Horse and Wagon field work was carried out by Tyne Rivers Trust, and funded by the WAMM programme and Northumbrian Water’s South Tyne Holistic Water Management Project.  It is one of several projects Northumbrian Water is supporting across the South Tyne catchment, aiming to improve river water quality and habitats, support biodiversity, and address the impacts of climate change.

It is hoped that the site will become a valued community asset that locals can enjoy and could be used for communities and school groups to visit to learn about environmental land and river management, as well as the economic and environmental impact of historical metal mining activities in the region.