MineArchiveWalker Colliery explosion, 1862
Word reached Newcastle on the morning of 22 November 1862 that Walker Colliery had exploded and that sixteen of the people working in it -- fourteen men and two boys -- were dead. The pit belonged to the Corporation of Newcastle and was worked under lease. Among the dead were two pairs of brothers, and several of the men left widows with young families; some were buried in Christ Church churchyard at Walker.
| Date | 22 November 1862 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Walker Colliery |
| Region | Tyne and Wear |
| Type | Explosion |
| Fatalities | 16 (Sixteen people were killed, fourteen men and two boys. The Durham Mining Museum's page for the disaster names them, with their homes and families.) |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
An explosion of firedamp.
What happened
Walker Colliery, on the north bank of the Tyne below Newcastle, was the property of the Corporation of Newcastle and was worked under lease. On the morning of 22 November 1862 intelligence reached Newcastle that the pit had exploded, killing sixteen of those employed in it, fourteen men and two boys. The dead included the brothers Joseph and Thomas Atkinson, single men who lived with their parents in New Row, and the brothers George Barnes, a hewer of forty-seven from New Row who left a wife, two sons and two daughters, and William Barnes, a deputy of Diamond Row who left a wife and three children.
Rescue & recovery
Unknown.
Investigation & inquiry
Unknown.
Memorials & commemoration
Several of the dead were buried in the churchyard at Christ Church, Walker.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- Sixteen of those employed at Walker Colliery -- fourteen men and two boys -- were killed by an explosion of firedamp on 22 November 1862. 1,2
- The colliery was the property of the Corporation of Newcastle but was worked under lease. 2
- The dead included two pairs of brothers: Joseph and Thomas Atkinson, single men living with their parents in New Row, and George Barnes, a hewer of forty-seven with a wife and four children, and his brother William, a deputy of Diamond Row with a wife and three children. 2
Sources
- (secondary) Walker Colliery (Durham Mining Museum) — Durham Mining Museum
- (secondary) Disasters – Names: Walker, 22nd November 1862 — Durham Mining Museum
Record created: 17 September 2026 · Last researched: 20 September 2026