"The colliery’s first cut of the turf was back in 1938. The first drift was 340 yards long at a gradient of 1:3. It took two years to sink this before coal was won. Bardon Mill Colliery finally closed in 1972; the seams were becoming thinner and were much further from the drift mouth. Water had become a serious problem since the drift was a mere 300 yards beneath the river; moreover, faults on the south side of the Tyne prevented more coal from being taken." - bardonmill-villagehall.co.uk