MineArchiveEast Walbottle Colliery
| Also known as | Robert Pit |
|---|---|
| Location | Dinnington, north-west of Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear — 55.0551, -1.6845 (approximate) |
| Commodity | Coal |
| Type | Coal |
| Worked | 1908–1966 |
| Maximum depth | Unknown. |
| Operators | East Walbottle Coal Co. Ltd (1908–1947), National Coal Board (1947–1966) |
Overview
The East Walbottle Coal Company's colliery at Dinnington, north of Newcastle, worked from 1908. Its Robert Pit passed to the National Coal Board in 1947, was merged with Prestwick in 1964 and closed on 29 October 1966.
History
East Walbottle Colliery, at Dinnington north-west of Newcastle, was opened in 1908 by the East Walbottle Coal Company. Its Robert Pit shaft appears on the Ordnance Survey map of 1919. It began small, with 23 men in 1910 working the Brockwell and Two Feet seams, and grew to 162 in 1921 and 196 in 1930, by then in the Beaumont and Brockwell. The company also owned the neighbouring Prestwick Colliery in the 1940s.
The National Coal Board took the colliery over in 1947, when it employed 165, and worked it mainly in the Beaumont, with the Busty, employing about 220 through the later 1950s. Pithead baths were built in the early 1960s. In 1964 East Walbottle was merged with Prestwick, and the combined workforce stood at 434 in 1965. The colliery closed on 29 October 1966, and its pithead baths survive.
Geology
Northumberland Coal Measures: the Brockwell, Two Feet, Beaumont, Low Main and Busty.
Workings
The Robert Pit; pithead baths (early 1960s).
Closure
Merged with Prestwick in 1964; closed on 29 October 1966.
What remains
The pithead baths of the early 1960s survive.
The pithead baths.
Redevelopment
Unknown.
Related mines
- Prestwick Colliery — Neighbouring collieries under the East Walbottle Coal Company, merged in 1964 and closed together in 1966.
Nearby mines
- Prestwick Colliery — 1.7 miles (2.7 km) SW, Northumberland
- Hazlerigg Colliery — 1.8 miles (3.0 km) SE
- Seaton Burn Colliery — 2.2 miles (3.6 km) E
- Shotton Surface Mine — 2.9 miles (4.7 km) NE, Northumberland
- Dudley Colliery — 3.5 miles (5.7 km) E
Straight-line distance, within 9 miles (15 km). Show on the map.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- East Walbottle Colliery at Dinnington was opened in 1908. 1,2
- The East Walbottle Coal Company owned the colliery until the National Coal Board took it over in 1947. 3,4
- East Walbottle was merged with Prestwick in 1964. 1,2
- The colliery closed on 29 October 1966; its pithead baths of the early 1960s survive. 3,4
Photographs & further reading
The Robert Pit, its owners and the surviving pithead baths.
View sourceOwners, employment and seams.
View sourceSources
- (secondary) Ashington Area: collieries after nationalisation — Northern Mine Research Society
- (secondary) NCB Collieries - England (Northern Mine Research Society) — Northern Mine Research Society
- (primary) East Walbottle Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
- (secondary) HER 4353: East Walbottle Colliery, Robert Pit — Sitelines (Tyne and Wear HER)
Record created: 4 October 2026 · Last researched: 4 October 2026