NEHL - The A Pit is of course the earliest modern working in Hebburn. It was situated just off Waggonway Road, a slight clue, and was directly connected to the Tyne via a short waggonway to staiths where the conveyors would later be fitted for the same purpose. Our first insight is in the 1850s on the first edition of the Ordnance Survey. We find a huge complex of sidings and long pit rows to accommodate the miners. Those living here probably worked at the B pit and C pit also. Nearby featured all the required infrastructure - a smithy, brick field and the ballast hill to discard the waste from the pit below.

The "pit village" even by this decade was huge, and many of the rows remained until the turn of the century. Such rows were typical - Chapel Row, Cross Row, Store Row, Waggonmans Row as well as incorporating a planned square which is reminiscent of many early 19th century developments. There was also a reading room, chapels for 3 seperate Methodist congregations, a post office, a primary & secondary school as well as the Ellison Arms on the northern side. It was truly a pit village in every essence.

The C pit became the dominant working, and by 1900 572 were working here compared to 868 at the C Pit. A few decades later this site would wind down and the buildings would be totally demolished by the end of the 30s.

A park and more modern housing has taken its place.
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"Hebburn Colliery is situated about a mile west of that at Jarrow. Coals appear to have been worked here at an early period; and these mines probably formed part of the supposed passage alluded to in the following extract :— "In 1656, a mad design was entertained by — Clavering and Adam Sheppardson, to contrive a way from the cole-pitts, about two miles from the castle (of Newcastle), underground to the castle of Tynemouth, for to relieve the enemy with provisions if need required, and for that purpose there was a great store of provisions laid in, and to be laid in Hebburne-house, and eighty firelocks and a great number of stilettoes laid in Fellen-house."

The present colliery was commenced in 1792. The winning was considered one of the most arduous and difficult that had up to that period been attempted, the quantity of water drained amounting to upwards of 3000 gallons per minute, until stopped back by the then infant art of wood tubbing. The strata here are identical with those at Jarrow. In "Forster's Section" is a table of the strata sunk through to the High Main, from whence it appears that the Monkton Seam, 3 feet thick, lies at the depth of 20 fathoms; that ten insignificant seams of coal, varying from 1½ inch to 1 foot 2 inches in thickness, occur between it and the High Main; and that the latter, 6 feet thick, is come to at the depth of 129 fathoms, 4 feet and 11½ inches. The Bensham Seam, as at Jarrow, is about 45 fathoms below the High Main. The Heworth Band also prevails in this colliery, where its thickness, in the line of Hebburn Hall, amounts to a preventative of working the seam as a whole; and the workings in that quarter are therefore carried on in the bottom part only, being about 3 feet thick. The Main Coal was always considered of excellent quality, bordering upon Wallsend colliery along the mid-stream of the river Tyne.

The difficulties to which the working of this colliery has been exposed, were singularly great and diversified, in the first place, the cost and risk of winning were considered enormous at that period. The quantity of inflammable gas also, evolved during many years of inexperienced practice, caused innumerable and heavy explosions; and the workmen, hardened by custom, frequently saw without alarm streams of blue flame emanating from the furnace. At that time, the business of the colliery was principally carried on by steelmills, upwards of 100 of which were in daily use; and the ventilating current, according to custom, was carried entire through all the ramifications of the mine, being stated to run a course of 30 miles between its entry and departure. About the year 1810, a general creep overtook the whole colliery, which suspended all coal-working for a considerable time. During its continuance, when the discharge of inflammable air was too great to admit of ventilating furnaces, the expedient of an air-pump was tried. It was 5 feet square, was wrought by one of the steam-engines, and produced a considerable current; but, from the nature of the application, was, of course, liable to irregularity and stoppage."

Views of the Collieries (1844)