Choppington 'B' Pit

Overview

The companion shaft to Choppington 'A' Pit, first appearing on maps in 1898 and linked to it by wagonway, sharing the same five owners through to the National Coal Board before the combined colliery's 1966 closure.

History

Choppington 'B' Pit was sunk as the companion shaft to the neighbouring 'A' Pit, appearing on the Ordnance Survey map of 1898 (unlike 'A' Pit, already shown on the 1866 edition). It shared the same sequence of owners as 'A' Pit over the colliery's working life: Lambert, Nicholson & Co. in the 1860s, the Bebside Coal Co. and then the Bebside & Choppington Coal Co. in the 1880s, Choppington Collieries Ltd. from the 1930s, and the National Coal Board from 1947. 'B' Pit was linked to 'A' Pit, and from there to the main line railway, by a wagonway. By the late 1940s the site comprised colliery buildings, a reservoir, a large spoil heap and a short terrace row of housing. Employment fluctuated considerably: in 1925 the pit was briefly reduced to just 8 underground and 2 above-ground workers before a temporary closure that April, but by 1930 it employed 437 underground and 114 above-ground workers. The combined Choppington Colliery finally closed on 16 July 1966, and the site has since been relandscaped.

Geology

Coal of the Northumberland field; the seams worked are not recorded.

Workings

Linked to 'A' Pit, and from there to the main line railway, by wagonway; workforce fluctuated from as few as 8 underground workers in 1925 to 437 by 1930.

Closure

Closed alongside 'A' Pit on 16 July 1966; the site has since been relandscaped.

What remains

The site has been relandscaped; no original structures are known to survive.

Related mines

• Bebside Colliery — Both collieries were worked by the same companies — the Bebside & Choppington Coal Co. in the 1880s and the Bebside Coal Co. from the 1890s — which took their name from the two places.
• Choppington 'A' Pit — Companion shafts sharing the same five owners and linked by wagonway.

Recorded claims

Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.

• Choppington 'B' Pit first appears on the 1898 Ordnance Survey map and shared 'A' Pit's ownership chain -- Lambert Nicholson & Co., Bebside Coal Co., Bebside & Choppington Coal Co., Choppington Collieries Ltd. and the National Coal Board. ¹
• Employment fell to just 8 underground and 2 above-ground workers in 1925, briefly closing that April, before recovering to 437 underground and 114 above-ground workers by 1930. ¹
• The combined Choppington Colliery, comprising 'A' and 'B' pits, finally closed on 16 July 1966. ²

Photographs & further reading

Sources

1. (secondary) Choppington Colliery B Pit — North East Heritage Library
2. (secondary) Choppington Colliery (1857-1966) — Co-Curate (Newcastle University)

Record created: 31 August 2026 · Last researched: 1 September 2026