Irish Navies Who Built The Viaducts And Railways Winlaton Miill/Rowlands Gill

A Memory of Rowlands Gill.

I have a small book on the history of this area and there is a photograph of the viaduct at Winlaton Mill being built about 1864.

It reminded me of something my mother in law told me about there being an outbreak of cholera and that the Irish navies who died were taken quietly at night to be buried I don't know where. The conditions that they lived in apparently were very bad - terrible sanitation - malnutrition and illnesses related to these conditions.

I am also wondering where they lived and was there a tented community where they lived. There must have been hundreds working on this viaduct and railway.

Has anyone else been told of this by descendants of these Irish workers.

I think quite a lot of these workers settled in the Winlaton - Winlaton Mill - Rowlands Gill - Blaydon - Swalwell areas and possibly Consett.

It is such a shame for this bit of history to have been forgotten. I would love to hear from anyone who has heard of this

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