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Roads in Whickham
In the early centuries roads were made up of stone quarried locally, quite an ancient custom, even from the times of the Romans.
19th and 20th century cobbled stones or granite blocks 9x4x4" were placed to help traffic, mainly horse and cart, also to fill between tram lines, in some suitable places wooden blocks were used.
In villages such as Whickham roads were penned with local stone, eg. about 1ft. foundation of penned stone laid by hand, nearby a load of stone would be tipped, where a workman sitting on his cracket using a knapping hammer, knapping stones into crumbles, approx. 2" these crumbles would be used as a top dressing crushed by a steam roller then flushed with water.
Winter roads through inclement weather, also by horse and vehicles with iron wheels, were more or less clarty lanes through the village.
In summer by comparison, dust from horse traffic and iron wheels, grinding the road surface. It was a continuous blizzard of dust on rough windy days, unbearable at times.
Whickham Council owned a water cart approx. 250 gl. Tank with sprayers at the rear, pulled by one horse, this water cart travelled at regular intervals, from Broom Lane to the top of Whickham Bank, spraying one half of the road plus footpath.