Backworth, North Tyneside
Backworth A Pit
Last Updated:
28 May 2020
Backworth, North Tyneside
This is a
Colliery
Eccleston Close, Backworth
Founded in
Current status is
Demolished
Designer (if known):
The site is now grassland with exception of an industrial facility.
Backworth A Pit, the first site of the group of Backworth Collieries, was first sunk in 1813. It is just south of the village of Backworth, with Earsdon to the east and the Seaton Burn Waggonway further in the distance to the west.
It was operated in the 1830s by a company called Humble, Lamb & Co, who exported the coals to London from Percy Main. The company took advantage of the waggonway system that littered Tyneside, constructing a 1 track railway over the Blyth & Tyne, across what is now West Allotment to Percy Main and the Tyne at Whitehill Point.
There has been no major disasters at this pit, but with the nature of mineworking many sacraficed themselves doing a dangerous and extremely difficult job. All of their names are on the link above and we pay our respects to all of them.
The A Pit operated until the end of the First World War. According to the 1921 edition of the Ordnance Survey, the colliery remained. The B pit at this point, to the north, was disused.
Listing Description (if available)
On the 2nd edition, Backworth Colliery makes up a substantial area of the village. Backworth Lodge borders the A pit, while Miners terraces lie to the north. They are especially prevalent due to their uniform building style compared to other parts of the village. The Blyth & Tyne can be seen to the east.
The 1945 features the complex at its largest point. It is difficult to understand the provenance of the site at this point due to the A pit already having closed, but may have been converted to a different pit or serve all pits as a central site. Various clubs and institutes can be seen above the complex, signifying the mining culture as the beating heart of the community.
Photograph of Backworth Colliery, undated facing north. The Pit Head can be seen, as well as blowing chimneys and the copious railway lines going into the site.
Retrieved from Co-Curate
Aerial view of Backworth Colliery, undated. The area is littered with industrial buildings and sidings for the wagons. It is hard to tell when this image was taken, but it may be in the middle of the century when the National Coal Board opened the site. Let us know if you know.
Retrieved from Karl Pijnen on Flickr
