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Memories of Usworth Colliery

Photo Gallery


Usworth Colliery Photo Gallery

( 1845 - 1974 )

Usworth Colliery Panorama

View from the Pit Heap near Railway Terrace.
( Much later than the Map below. )

Upcast and Downcast Shaft

USWORTH COLLIERY

Downcast Shaft for Man-Riding:  Frederick Pit
( Open to the Elements: Fresh Air drawn into Mine )

Upcast Shaft:  Victoria Pit
( Sealed: Used Air drawn out by the Colliery Fan )

Usworth Colliery also had a 3rd Shaft:  Wellington Pit.

Usworth Colliery Map 1898

Very Early Map of Usworth Colliery and its Mining Community - 1898
Note the Railway running from the Colliery to the minor road connecting Manor Road and Quarry Row / Single Row.
The future Coal Depot will be built at this road / railway junction.

Usworth Colliery Miners & Pit Lads

Rescue

( 1903 )

Entombed Miners

Rescue at Usworth Colliery as reported in The Times.

Usworth Miners

( circa 1907 )

Usworth Colliery Miners - c.1907

George Gibson: 5th from left, back row.   [Photographer: Matthew C. Sanderson.  Photo: courtesy of George's grandson, David Gibson.]

[ You'll find a fascinating Pictorial History of the life of George Gibson at: What's Where; People; Gibson - George. ]

Usworth Pit Lads

( circa 1907 )

Usworth Colliery Pit Lads - c.1907

Young Pit Lads at Usworth Colliery.

Men & Boys of Usworth Mining Community

( 1920s )

Usworth Colliery Men & Boys (1920s)

( Hover your cursor on a face ) 

Usworth Masons

( 1905 )

Usworth Colliery Masons- 1905

The Masons who built the New Boiler House at Usworth Colliery.
Colliery Masons built and maintained numerous Brick Structures underground.

Pulley Wheels

( 1950 )

Pulley Wheels 1

Pulley Wheels 2

Changing a Headgear Pulley Wheel

Usworth Colliery

Approaching from The Community of Waterloo

View from Conservative Club

View from the Conservative Club (formerly, a Methodist Chapel) on the road to Waterloo and Usworth Hall.
( See Maps below and on TAB 1 )

View from Methodist Chapel

Frederick Shaft (fresh air & men) on the left.  Victoria Shaft (used air out) on the right.  Compressor House, far right.
Pay Office Window
(off-picture left, before the first building).  Pit Pond (over the wall, just round the bend).

Pay Day

Entrance to the Pit Yard.
Miners waiting for the Pay Office to open?

View from nearby Pit Heap

L to R:  Compressor House - Ventilation Fan House - Upcast Shaft - Lamp Cabin
The Pit Head Baths were off-picture, on the opposite side of Waterloo Road to the Compressor House.
The Colliery Medical Centre was off-picture, bottom-left-corner.

Usworth Colliery Medical Centre

USWORTH COLLIERY MEDICAL CENTRE

Usworth Colliery Medical Centre

Usworth Colliery Medical Centre c.1950.
Pit Head Baths chimney in the background.

Map of Usworth Colliery c 1965

MAP OF USWORTH COLLIERY c.1965

Usworth Colliery

Views from the Little Usworth side of The Pit

Usworth Colliery from Edith Avenue

USWORTH COLLIERY - EDITH AVENUE
The Wesleyan Methodist Chapel.   St Michael's Church is on the left at the bottom of the bank.
Usworth Colliery can be seen in the distance.

Usworth VE Day Party

Usworth 'Victory in Europe' Party - 8th May 1945.

View along Railway Terrace

FRONT OF RAILWAY TERRACE
A Track to the Colliery is just visible right of the grass.
The Leamside Railway Line is about 200 hundred yards off-picture, right.

Usworth Colliery and Old Row 1967

VIEW FROM OLD ROW - 1967
Waterloo Road passing alongside the Lamp Cabin and Upcast Shaft.
The railway lines in a picture below cross the road between Old Row and the Winding Engine House.

Usworth Colliery Miners - 1908

Young Pit Lads at Usworth Colliery (1908).   No cap lamps - light by Flame Safety Lamp only!
This view was taken from a right-centre position in the photograph below.

Usworth Colliery Railway to Depots

VIEW FROM THE RAILWAY LINES TO THE COAL DEPOT NEAR DON GARDENS
The Railway Lines on the other side of the Colliery lead to The Leamside Line.
Waterloo Road doesn't yet pass through the Colliery Premises.

( See Map on next TAB - 3/5 )

•   •   ◊   •   •

The Old Coach Road

VIEW FROM THE OLD COACH ROAD
(Additional Image for Clarification)
Note the long Pit Heap, starting near the Brickyard Chimney.
It leads to the Coal Depot, situated between Quarry Row / Single Row and the Miners's Hall.
The Railway Line from the Colliery runs along the far side of this Pit Heap.  The Coal Depot isn't shown on TAB 1 Map.

" If I could only fit one more picture into this Website, which would it be?  Usworth Colliery Coal Depot.
Loads of kids, me included, climbed all over its dangerous structure, and occasionally inside the Coal Hopper! "

" If you've got a photograph and you'd like to share, regardless of condition / quality,
I'd be delighted to post it here.  Lots of Old Usworthians will love it. "
{ Jim }

Usworth Colliery

Views from Single Row and Quarry Row

Pit from Single Row

Looking along the front of Single Row
Note the Victoria Shaft, the Frederick Shaft and the Brickyard Chimney.

Single Row and Quarry Row

Looking along Single Row (left) and Quarry Row (right) towards Usworth Colliery - 1955.
Note the Bridge over The Burn and the upward track to Usworth Colliery.  See Map below.

Single Row

Looking back at Single Row and the 'F' Pit Heap from the top of Usworth Pit Heap
Quarry Row Demolished!

Map Little Usworth

Little Usworth

Usworth Colliery

Views Looking Over the Brickyard

View from Usworth School

Usworth Brickyard Chimney from Usworth Colliery Senior School
Thomas Copeman on Usworth School playing fields.

[ Photographer: Mr Ralph Bonney, Teacher ]

Remember the Track - running behind the School Fence - which started at the Coal Depot
and passed Usworth Colliery Post Office, just beyond the Brickyard Chimney?

View from Usworth School

Usworth Brickyard Chimney - Usworth Green - Pensher View - Pawson's Factory
James Gill on the Edge of Usworth Pit Heap.  The Coal Depot railway lines ran between Pit Heap and Chimney.

[ Photographer: My Fiancée, now Wife, Laura ]

View from Brickyard 1965

Usworth Brickyard - May 1965.
Note the Usworth Pit Heap, right horizon.  It ran from the north end of Railway Terrace to The Leamside Line.

[ Courtesy of Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums ]

View from adjacent Pit Heap

View from S.E. corner of the Usworth Pit Heap in above Brickyard Photograph.
Leamside Line Railway - Severn Houses - Bull Field - Penshaw Monument - Usworth Station - Chemical Works.

[ Thanks to Adrian Lupton. ]

View from Brickyard 1972

Usworth Brickyard Chimney Demolished - June 1972.
Colliery Water Tanks on the bit of 'Old Pit Heap' behind the Chimney.
Note the numerous Spectators scattered across the picture, beyond the Chimney!

Usworth Colliery

Miscellaneous Images

Usworth Colliery Band

Usworth Colliery Band outside Usworth Miners' Welfare Hall - 1919.

•   •   ◊   •   •

New roads and Pit from Usworth Hall

Pit Baths, Colliery and Brickyard Chimney from the direction of Usworth Hall
The Pit Heap (overlooking Single Row) has been partially demolished to accommodate a new road system.
Who remembers the concrete structure on its highest northern edge when the Heap stretched to its full distance?

Usworth Hall

Usworth Hall from the Military Pillbox on the Pit Heap.
The Leamside Line is just visible running horizontally across this picture.
The community of Waterloo was behind Usworth Hall.
Also visible from the Pillbox - on / near the site of Usworth Secondary School playing fields - an Opencast Coal Mine!
N.B. In the 1960s Usworth Hall was the N.C.B. North Durham Area, 'A' Group Headquarters.
i.e. Usworth, Wardley, Washington 'F' and Washington Glebe Collieries.

•   •   ◊   •   •

View from Trafalgar Road 1973

Looking North from Usworth Station
The Usworth Colliery Pit Heap that ran from Railway Terrace to the Leamside Line is above the Crossing Gates.
Follingsby Colliery can be seen in the distance, immediately to the right of the Leamside Line.

•   •   ◊   •   •

View from Trafalgar Road 1973

Usworth Colliery Downcast Shaft Headgear from Trafalgar Road, 1973.

Ventilation System Diagram

HOW MINE VENTILATION WORKS
The Colliery Fan draws used air up the sealed UC Shaft via a Fan Drift and expels it.
As a result, Fresh air is drawn down the DC shaft and along each coal face.
To protect the Shafts, mining is illegal within the Shaft Pillar.

Memories of Durham Big Meeting

Usworth Banner- 1953

USWORTH COLLIERY LODGE BANNER
Approaching Usworth Station

Usworth Banner on North Road

ARRIVAL AT DURHAM

Usworth Lodge Banner en route to The Racecourse - 1953
Peter McGivern
(bait tucked safely inside his jacket) accompanying The Banner down North Road.

Usworth Banner - Elvet Bridge

CROSSING ELVET BRIDGE

Usworth Colliery Banner & Band en route to The County Hotel.

Usworth Banner - County Hotel

PASSING THE COUNTY HOTEL

Usworth Banner - Racecourse

ARRIVING AT THE RACECOURSE - 1952

Usworth Banner - Old Mother Riley

OLD MOTHER RILEY

Matty Snell with the Usworth Lodge Banner - 1954.
Bobby Felton
(3rd left, suit & tie)   Andy Storey (blond curls, centre)

Usworth Banner - Lloyd's Bank

BACK IN NEW WASHINGTON

Usworth Lodge Banner turning into Manor Road - heading towards Usworth Miners' Welfare Hall.

Memorable 'Closure Photograph' - 1974

Usworth Colliery - 1974

Contributed by Photographer and former Washington Grammar School pupil, Dr Stafford Linsley.
This image can be seen on the 'New' Usworth Lodge Banner.

Closure Announced!

Press Cutting about Closure

Unidentified Press Cutting - April 1974.

Press Cutting about Closure

Newcastle Evening Chronicle - August 1974.

Two Pairs of Pit Byuts and a Soap Dish!

Andy Storey & Peter Moran

Andy Storey & Peter Moran hang up their boots following the closure of Usworth Colliery in August 1974.

Demolition

Demolition - Upcast Shaft

Usworth Colliery Upcast Shaft Tower
[ Unidentified Press Cutting ]

Demolition - Downcast Headgear

Usworth Colliery Upcast Shaft Tower   -   Usworth Colliery Downcast Shaft Headgear, partially demolished

Demolition - Downcast Headgear

Usworth Colliery Downcast Shaft Headgear, partially demolished

Bob Scorer - Usworth Miner

Bob Scorer

Newspaper and Date unknown.
[ Thanks to Washington History Society.  N.B. That's my correction!  Jim ]

•   •   ◊   •   •

Banner Ripped & Replaced

Bob Scorer with Les Simpson

The Northern Echo  -  Durham Miners' Gala  -  Saturday, 10 July 2010
[ From a Northern Echo supplement found in the late David Simpson's 'Box of Memories'.  Thanks to David's sisters, Laura and Lilian. ]

Poem By Lorna Prudhoe

Poem by Lornal Prudhoe

Memories of an Usworth Lass
[ More of Lorna's Poems at What's Where; Poets' Corner. ]