wau01a
West Auckland Colliery
West Auckland
54.636015, -1.718992
Opened:
Closed:
1838
1967
Entry Created:
11 Mar 2024
Last Updated:
11 Mar 2024
Redeveloped
Condition:
Owners:
Jonathan Backhouse (1838), Messrs. Edmund Backhouse & Co. (1850s), Bolckow Vaughan (1850s), Ramshaw Coal Co. Ltd. (1930s), National Coal Board
Description (or HER record listing)
NEHL - West Auckland Colliery stood at the north end of the village for almost 130 years. It opened in 1838 after a full year of sinking. The seam was known to be six foot thick, and was first obtained by Jonathan Backhouse Esq., presumably the same Jonathan who financed the Stockton & Darlington Railway as one of Darlington's prominent bankers.
The pit was sizeable even as early as the 1850. There were at least 2 lines of coal ovens directly connected to the Stockton & Darlington. It was modernised by the 1890s, with at least 3 access shafts on the site. St Helen & West Auckland developed around the pit, expanding the boundaries of the pre-existing villages.
The pit was later owned by Bolckow Vaughan and the National Coal Board. The site is now housing.
Ordnance Survey, 1859
Historic England Photograph: raf_106g_uk_1700_rs_4007 flown 27/08/1946 (27 August 1946)
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Historic Environment Records
Durham/Northumberland: Keys to the Past
Tyne and Wear: Sitelines
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