A new board game called Bottles, Coal and Iron has been created to inspire people to explore the Tyne Derwent Way and engage with the lost stories of Gateshead's industrial history. The game transports players back to when the now greenway was a much more industrial landscape.
How the game works
Players roll the dice in a classic game of chance and navigate their way through forfeits at sites along the route, following the Derwent and Tyne rivers. Starting at Busty Bank in Gibside, the aim is to be the first to finish at the former Gateshead Iron Works, now the site of the Baltic. Players discover names, places and stories from Gateshead's industrial history, including Dunston Colliery, Lumley's flour mill, Sadler's Boat Yard and the Derwent Valley Railway, among others. There are local legends involved too, including the notorious mine-dwelling goblin of Gateshead.
Research and design
The game has been researched by local historians, experts and community members, and has been designed by Paulina Malowniec. Bosses say the game has been many months in the making after funding from Historic England. Imogen Cloet, the Tyne Derwent Way's heritage engagement officer, explained the inspiration: 'Almost all of this area's industrial heritage has become lost over time. On the Tyne Derwent Way, you're walking through history, but you can't see much of it any more, with some obvious exceptions like Dunston Staiths. The wagon ways are now paths, and it's hard to imagine that noise, dirt and busyness of the heavy industry here, because it's so tranquil now. We looked for a way to capture and celebrate all those industrial sites, factories, collieries and bridges, and bring their stories to life.'
Where to play
Copies of Bottles, Coal and Iron will be available to play at locations along the Tyne Derwent Way, including Gibside, Thornley Woodlands Centre, the Land of Oak & Iron Heritage Centre, MetroCentre, The Staiths Café, Gateshead Library, Orbis Community High Street, St Mary's by the Tyne and Baltic. People can also play at the Staiths Space on Staithes Road in Dunston, where an exhibition behind the game's creation is also being held.
