The Durham Collieries section gives information on collieries in the Durham coalfield, from c.1850 to c.1990, which has been brought together from a range of sources. The information can be accessed from alphabetical lists '
by name' or '
by township'. It can also be accessed '
by map' using the links in the left hand navigator. If you require any assistance using the 'by map' option please see our
help pages.
Browsing by Name
The names used for collieries in the Durham Collieries information are those used on Ordnance Survey maps. Where two separate colliery sites on the same Ordnance Survey plan have the same name, each one is given a separate number in square brackets [1]. An example is the two shafts of Cold Knot Colliery. Click on the colliery name for further information such as:
- Mine name and location
- Date sunk or opened
- Date closed
Browsing by Township
This is a list of all of the townships which had collieries and is not intended to be a list of all places in the coalfield. Where there is more than one colliery in a township they are listed alphabetically. Simply click on the colliery name for further information.
Available Information
The following is an explanation of the kind of information you can find in each of the 'Detail Screens':
Location
The location of a colliery is given in miles and kilometres in a given direction from a main town. The first, second, third and fourth editions (c.1856 to c.1940) of the Ordnance Survey maps were used to identify the locations of the collieries and a number of unnamed shafts. Please note that only a partial survey of the county was undertaken for the fourth edition of c.1940, so it has been impossible to include information for collieries at that date in areas where no maps were produced.
Date Sunk or Opened
Where the sinking date of a mine could be found it is shown under 'Date sunk or opened'. Please bear in mind that there could be a period of time (sometimes months or years) between a sinking date and the production of coal from a mine.
Date of Closure
This is the date that a colliery closed. Some of this information is taken from documents compiled by the National Coal Board in the 1970s (ref:NCB 24/117). Closure dates can be difficult to determine since collieries could close, re-open and close again.
Sources of Reference
Please note that all sources for the information given are noted in brackets.
Map of Area
It is possible to view the area in which a mine was located by clicking the link at the bottom of the detail screen. A new browser window will open and the Geographical Information System (GIS) will launch showing the specific grid square in which the mine was located. Further information on maps and GIS is available for your reference.
