MineArchiveFir Tree Colliery
| Also known as | Pea Hill |
|---|---|
| Location | Harperley, near Fir Tree and Crook; North Bedburn parish, County Durham — 54.7049, -1.7928 (approximate) |
| Commodity | Coal |
| Type | Coal |
| Worked | By 1921–After 1940 |
| Maximum depth | Unknown. |
| Operators | Woodifield Coal Co. Ltd (1921–1929), Steels House Colliery Co. Ltd (1930–?), Fir Tree Coal Co. Ltd (1930–?), Bearpark Coal & Coke Co. Ltd (1940–?) |
Overview
A small colliery at Harperley, near Fir Tree and Crook, worked from about 1921 in the Five Quarter, Ballarat, Main Coal and Victoria seams, and from 1930 together with Woodifield Colliery.
History
Fir Tree Colliery lay at Harperley, near the village of Fir Tree, in the parish of North Bedburn, about ten miles west-south-west of Durham. It first appears in the lists of mines in 1921, owned by the Woodifield Coal Company, when 24 people worked the Five Quarter seam. By 1923 it employed 75, and 101 in 1924, working the Ballarat, Five Quarter, Main Coal and Victoria seams for steam coal under the agent A. W. Parkin and the manager J. W. Snowdon.
It closed in October 1925 and had only five people in 1927. Its plan, under the alternative name Pea Hill, records the abandonment of the Yard, Ballarat, Five Quarter and Brockwell or Main seams on 27 April 1929. Working went on in the Victoria seam, with 66 people in 1929 and 81 in 1930.
From 1930 Fir Tree was worked together with the neighbouring Woodifield Colliery, which the Steels House Colliery Company revived; the two employed 51 in 1935. The Fir Tree Coal Company and, in the 1940s, the Bearpark Coal and Coke Company are also recorded as owners. In 1940 it employed 28 under the manager J. White, the last year it is listed. Two deaths are recorded there: a hewer in 1921 and another in 1925, both from falls of stone.
Geology
The Five Quarter, Ballarat, Main Coal, Victoria, Yard and Brockwell or Main seams, raised for steam, coking, household and manufacturing coal.
Workings
The Five Quarter, Ballarat, Main Coal and Victoria seams were worked; from 1927 only the Victoria.
Closure
The Yard, Ballarat, Five Quarter and Brockwell or Main seams were abandoned on 27 April 1929; the Victoria was worked on with Woodifield until at least 1940.
What remains
Unknown.
Redevelopment
Unknown.
Related mines
- Woodifield Colliery — The Steels House Colliery Co. worked Woodifield combined with Fir Tree in the 1930s.
Nearby mines
- Greenhead Colliery, Harperley — 0.8 miles (1.2 km) E
- Cold Knott Colliery — 0.8 miles (1.4 km) N
- Woodifield Colliery — 1.6 miles (2.6 km) E
- Low Bitchburn Colliery — 1.8 miles (2.9 km) E
- Roddymoor Colliery — 1.9 miles (3.0 km) NE
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.
- Worked in 1921 by the Woodifield Coal Company, with 24 people in the Five Quarter seam. 1
- Employed 101 people in 1924. 1
- Closed in October 1925, and worked again from 1927. 1
- The Yard, Ballarat, Five Quarter and Brockwell or Main seams were abandoned on 27 April 1929. 2,3
- A. W. Parkin was agent in 1923-25 and J. W. Snowdon manager in 1923-24. 4
- Worked together with Woodifield Colliery from 1930. 5,1
Photographs & further reading
Owners, employment, managers and seams year by year.
View sourceSources
- (primary) Fir Tree Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
- (primary) Catalogue of Plans of Abandoned Mines: Fir Tree Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
- (primary) Fir Tree Mine Plans (Mining Remediation Authority abandonment plan 9826, Yard and Brockwell or Main, abandoned 1929) — British Geological Survey / Mining Remediation Authority
- (primary) Fir Tree Colliery: Colliery Management (prior to 1970) — Durham Mining Museum
- (primary) Durham Mining Museum - Woodifield Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
Record created: 5 October 2026 · Last researched: 9 October 2026