MineArchiveHorton Grange Colliery
| Location | Bebside, Blyth, Northumberland — 55.1275, -1.5554 (approximate) |
|---|---|
| Commodity | Coal |
| Type | Coal |
| Worked | 1934–26 January 1962 |
| Maximum depth | Unknown. |
| Operators | Choppington Collieries Ltd. (1934–1946), National Coal Board (1947–1962) |
Overview
A Bebside colliery opened by Choppington Collieries Ltd in 1934 apparently on the old Bebside Colliery's take, employing over 500 under private and then National Coal Board ownership until it closed in January 1962.
History
Horton Grange Colliery lay at Bebside, near Blyth. It was opened in 1934 by Choppington Collieries Ltd, and its abandonment plans are titled "Horton Grange (formerly Bebside)", which suggests it took over the workings of the older Bebside Colliery, closed in 1926. In 1935 it employed 539 people, 399 underground, raising household and steam coal from the Five Quarter, High Main and Main seams, with W. Herrod as manager.
The Yard seam was abandoned in 1945. The National Coal Board took the colliery over in 1947, when it employed 526 and raised 132,000 tons; it also sent out some iron pyrites in 1950. A. Chisholm managed it from 1945 to the mid-1950s, when 578 people worked the Bensham, Stone Coal, Top Five Quarter and Top and Lower Main seams.
By 1961 only the Lower Bensham was being worked, by 395 people. The colliery closed on 26 January 1962, and its Top Five Quarter workings were abandoned in February. Its pithead baths still stand, though they are not listed.
Geology
The Five Quarter, High Main, Main, Bensham, Stone Coal, Yard and Top Five Quarter or Top Brass Thill seams of the Northumberland coalfield; some iron pyrites was sent out in 1950.
Workings
Worked from 1934, apparently in the old Bebside take, in up to five seams at once; by 1961 only the Lower Bensham.
Closure
Closed on 26 January 1962; the Top Five Quarter workings were abandoned on 12 February 1962.
What remains
The pithead baths survive; they are not listed.
Pithead baths.
Redevelopment
Unknown.
Related mines
- Bebside Colliery — Horton Grange's plans are titled 'formerly Bebside': it worked the old Bebside Colliery's ground from 1934. Kept as two records: whether Horton Grange reused Bebside's shafts is not established.
Nearby mines
- Bebside Colliery — 0.1 miles (0.1 km) SE
- Bedlington 'A' Colliery — 1.1 miles (1.8 km) NW
- Isabella Colliery, Blyth — 1.1 miles (1.8 km) SE
- Bomarsund Colliery — 1.2 miles (1.9 km) NW
- New Delaval Colliery — 1.2 miles (2.0 km) SE
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.
- Opened in 1934 by Choppington Collieries Ltd. 1,2
- Its abandonment plans are titled Horton Grange, formerly Bebside. 3
- Employed 539 people in 1935, 399 underground. 1
- Employed 526 and raised 132,000 tons in 1947. 1
- A. Chisholm was manager from 1945 to 1955. 4
- Closed on 26 January 1962. 5,1
- The pithead baths survive and are not listed. 2
Photographs & further reading
The Twentieth Century Society's record of the colliery's surviving pithead baths.
View sourceSources
- (primary) Horton Grange Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
- (secondary) Horton Grange / Bebside (pithead baths) — The Twentieth Century Society
- (primary) Horton Grange (formerly Bebside) Mine Plans (Mining Remediation Authority plan NC304, Top Five Quarter or Top Brass Thill, abandoned 12 February 1962) — British Geological Survey / Mining Remediation Authority
- (primary) Horton Grange Colliery: Colliery Management (prior to 1970) — Durham Mining Museum
- (secondary) NCB Collieries - England (Northern Mine Research Society) — Northern Mine Research Society
Record created: 9 October 2026 · Last researched: 9 October 2026