Rising Sun Colliery

Overview

A Wallsend colliery sunk from July 1906 and producing from 1908 for the Wallsend and Hebburn Coal Company, which also worked Wallsend Colliery. Its shaft reached 769 feet to the Bensham Seam, and by 1935 its coal preparation plant was described as probably the most complete in the world. The National Coal Board rebuilt it at a cost of £2.9 million, raising output from 1,800 to 3,000 tons a day, but it closed on 26 April 1969. The site is now the Rising Sun Country Park.

History

Sinking began on 9 July 1906 and production started in 1908, under the Wallsend and Hebburn Coal Co. Ltd, which also ran the neighbouring Wallsend Colliery. The shaft reached 769 feet to work the Bensham Seam. Output was household and steam coal in 1921, and gas and household coal with clay by 1925. In 1935 the colliery’s coal preparation plant was described as probably the most complete in the world, offering dry cleaning, wet washing, wet and dry screening, blending and mixing. The National Coal Board took over in 1947 and selected the pit for a major refit costing £2.9 million, complete by 1961, which raised production from 1,800 to 3,000 tons a day. By 1965 the colliery employed 1,722 people, 1,442 of them below ground. It closed on 26 April 1969, making 1,180 men and 26 pit ponies redundant.

Geology

The Northumberland and Durham coalfield at Wallsend. The Bensham Seam was reached at 769 feet; clay was also returned in 1925.

Workings

A shaft colliery reaching 769 feet to the Bensham Seam, with a surface coal preparation plant that by 1935 handled dry cleaning, wet washing, wet and dry screening, blending and mixing, and which was comprehensively rebuilt by the National Coal Board by 1961.

Closure

Closed on 26 April 1969, eight years after a £2.9 million reconstruction, making 1,180 men and 26 pit ponies redundant.

What remains

The colliery buildings were demolished and land reclamation began in 1971. The site is now Rising Sun Country Park, some 400 acres of organic farm, nature reserve, ponds, woodland and grassland with a countryside centre.

None; the buildings were demolished and the ground reclaimed from 1971.

Redevelopment

Rising Sun Country Park, about 400 acres.

Related mines

• Wallsend Colliery — Two pits of one company: the Wallsend and Hebburn Coal Co. sank the Rising Sun from 1906 while already working Wallsend Colliery, and the Durham Mining Museum cross-references the two.

Nearby mines

• Wallsend Colliery — 2.2 km SE
• Backworth Colliery — 3.6 km N
• Burradon Colliery — 5.5 km NW, Northumberland
• Hebburn Colliery — 6.1 km SE
• Seghill Colliery — 6.3 km N, Northumberland

Straight-line distance, within 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.

• Sinking began on 9 July 1906 and the colliery opened in 1908. ¹
• The shaft reached a depth of 769 feet (234 m) to work the Bensham Seam. ²
• In 1935 the colliery’s plant was described as probably the most complete coal preparation plant in the world, providing dry cleaning, wet washing, wet and dry screening, and blending and mixing. ²
• The National Coal Board selected the colliery for a major refit costing £2.9 million, with rebuilding complete by 1961 and production rising from 1,800 to 3,000 tons a day. By 1965 it employed 1,722 people, 1,442 of them below ground and 280 on the surface. ²
• The colliery closed on 26 April 1969, making 1,180 men and 26 pit ponies redundant. ^1,2
• The colliery buildings were demolished and land reclamation began in 1971; the site is now Rising Sun Country Park, a 400-acre site with an organic farm, nature reserve, countryside centre, ponds, woodland and grassland. ²

Photographs & further reading

Sources

1. (primary) Rising Sun Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
2. (primary) Rising Sun Colliery (Tyne and Wear HER 17181) — Tyne and Wear Historic Environment Record

Record created: 8 September 2026 · Last researched: 8 September 2026