Seaton Delaval, Northumberland
Pit Pond, Seaton Delaval
Last Updated:
9 Sept 2020
Seaton Delaval, Northumberland
This is a
Pond
55.075557, -1.536245
Founded in
Current status is
Demolished
Designer (if known):
Site now woodland
The nearby Seaton Delaval Colliery, just north of the station, was steam powered and needed a constant clean water to power the steam boilers and ensure the smooth running of the complex. As a result, the colliery utilised a nearby pond adjacent to Seaton Delaval Railway Station thanks to its proximity and limitless supply of water.
It is said the pond was actually a disused quarry, utilised by the colliery because of its closeness. Ordnance Survey maps only go as far back as the 1860s and do not suggest this.
Once the mine was electrified and connected to the network, the pond was filled in and converted into simple woodland. It remains the case today.
Listing Description (if available)
The maps above exhibit Seaton Delaval in the latter half of the 19th century. The first map further above is from 1865, and shows the pond adjacent to the station along the main road through the village. Its not known how it was connected to the colliery, and could even have been manually pumped supplying the colliery. In regards to the rst of the village, it was simply one long lane at this point, with miners terraces occupying the lane all the way to The Astley Arms.
The second map, dated from 1897, shows a similar vista. The Hastings Arms Public House is now labelled, and a few more dwellings have been constructed but other than that the settlement seldom changed. The pond was still in use.
The third map is the Ordnance Survey from 1924. The pond is no longer in use and has been filled in by this point as seen on the map. The colliery will have been electrified by this point. Seaton Delaval had grown to be a substantial settlement by this point, with the football ground at Wheatridge Row constructed and a number of new terraces. Seaton Delaval Colliery was still in operation.
Photograph of the pond, undated. The signal box at Seaton Delaval station can be seen to the right and the station house and waiting room on the left. A gorgeous landscape that is unmatched compared to the present.
Retrieved from Seaton Valley Past and Present
