Join us at Wylam Library for a local history chat with Bob Pullen.

Wylam Library - Local History Talk with Bob Pullen

Bob Pullen is a retired University Lecturer in Science who has been living in Wylam for over twenty years. He has written and published several books covering a range of subjects. One of them is ‘A Brief History of Wylam’ published in 2021.

A Brief History of Wylam

Wylam was first settled around 1085, not long after the Battle of Hastings. It had early connections with Tynemouth Priory which were cut during the reign of Henry VIII. Not much happened in the village until the Blackett family bought the land around 1685 knowing coal was there. Several generations of Blacketts worked coal mines in the village until production finally stopped around 1870.

During this time, the Blacketts acquired wealth and they led the development of the first working ‘Steam Engines’ called Wylam Dilley and Puffing Billy around 1815. George Stephenson was born in Wylam in 1781 and we know he is famous for the first passenger steam trains with carriages. After coal production stopped around 1900 Wylam began to change to become the more residential village it is today.

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