Mill Pit, Blyth

Overview

Blyth's Crofton Mill Pit, sunk from 26 January 1885 on the site of an old mill, which employed 1,459 people in 1925 and raised 289,000 tons in 1947 before closing in July 1969.

History

Mill Pit, known as Crofton Mill Colliery, was sunk from 26 January 1885 on the site of an old mill at Blyth by the Cowpen and North Seaton Coal Company. The Durham Mining Museum records the Mickley Coal Company as owner from 1928, and other accounts say the company passed to Mickley in 1923; the National Coal Board took over in 1947. The colliery had one shaft, 558 feet deep, an escape route through the North Pit, later called Bates Pit, and underground connections to the Isabella Pit, and worked ten seams.

Employment was 825 in 1894, 1,019 in 1910, 1,459 in 1925, 954 in 1930, 970 in 1945, 923 in 1960 and 802 in 1969. In 1947 it raised 289,000 tons of household, manufacturing and steam coal; local accounts give a peak of 366,000 tons. The Low Main, Yard, Low Low Main, Plessey and Beaumont seams appear in its returns, with the Low Main abandoned in 1926 and the Yard on 18 February 1928. In January 1956 a one-day stoppage began after the pit pony Jet was said to be unwilling to work; the Coal Board declined offers of a home for it and moved it to stone hauling.

The Durham Mining Museum gives closure on 12 July 1969, and another account says 1968. The pit yard was grassed over and used for the town carnival fun fair each summer. Since 2021 the Friends of Crofton Mill Field have worked to transform the former heap and research the mine's history, and in November 2023 they held an exhibition.

Geology

Ten seams were worked; the returns name the Low Main, Yard, Low Low Main, Plessey and Beaumont. The Low Main was abandoned in 1926 and the Yard on 18 February 1928.

Workings

One shaft, 558 feet deep, with an underground shaft, an escape route through the North Pit and underground connections to the Isabella Pit.

Closure

The Durham Mining Museum gives closure on 12 July 1969, when 802 people were employed, 644 of them below ground; another account gives 1968.

What remains

The pit yard was grassed over after closure; the former heap is being transformed by the Friends of Crofton Mill Field.

Redevelopment

The pit yard was used for the town carnival fun fair each summer and is sometimes called the goose field.

Related mines

• Bates Colliery — Mill Pit's escape route ran through the North Pit, later called Bates Pit.
• Cowpen Colliery — The Durham Mining Museum files Mill Pit under Cowpen Colliery; the Cowpen and North Seaton company sank it in 1885.
• Isabella Colliery, Blyth — The Mill Pit had underground connections to the Isabella Pit.

What's uncertain

Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.

• The Cowpen and North Seaton company was taken over by the Mickley Coal Company in 1923. (disputed) ^1,3
• The colliery achieved a peak output of 366,000 tons of coal. (disputed) ¹
• The pit closed in 1968. (disputed) ⁴

Recorded claims

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

• Sinking began on 26 January 1885 on the site of an old mill, by the Cowpen and North Seaton Coal Company. ^1,2,3
• The Cowpen and North Seaton Coal Company sank the pit, the Mickley Coal Company owned it from 1928 and the National Coal Board from 1947. ²
• The Cowpen and North Seaton company was taken over by the Mickley Coal Company in 1923. (disputed) ^1,3
• The colliery had one shaft, 558 feet deep, an escape route through the North Pit and underground connections to the Isabella Pit. ^1,3
• Employment was 825 in 1894, 1,019 in 1910, 1,459 in 1925, 954 in 1930 and 802 in 1969. ²
• The pit raised 289,000 tons in 1947. ²
• The colliery achieved a peak output of 366,000 tons of coal. (disputed) ¹
• The Durham Mining Museum gives closure on 12 July 1969. ^1,2
• The pit closed in 1968. (disputed) ⁴
• After closure the pit yard was grassed over and used for the town carnival fun fair each summer. ¹
• Since 2021 the Friends of Crofton Mill Field have worked on the former heap and researched the mine's history, showing the results in an exhibition in November 2023. ³

Photographs & further reading

Sources

1. (secondary) Coal mines of Blyth (Blyth Hub) — Blyth Hub
2. (primary) Durham Mining Museum - Mill Pit — Durham Mining Museum
3. (secondary) Crofton Mill Pit Remembered Exhibition (Blyth Town Council, 16 November 2023) — Blyth Town Council
4. (secondary) The Staithes and Coal Heritage of Blyth (Blyth.live, 30 May 2026) — Blyth.live

Record created: 29 September 2026 · Last researched: 29 September 2026