Stannington Church Colliery

Overview

A shallow colliery beside Stannington church, whose Church Pit was sunk in 1878 to a six-foot Brockwell seam at 67 feet, given up as unprofitable in 1905 and reworked by the South Stannington Coal Company from about 1921 to 1927.

History

Stannington Church Colliery lay on the west side of Stannington church, about ten miles north-north-west of Newcastle. Its Church Pit, near Stannington village, was sunk in 1878 from about 200 feet above sea level, through clay and gravel and 37 feet of freestone, to a seam of nearly six feet of coal in three leaves, parted by seggar clay, at 67 feet 8 inches. The Brockwell seam there was abandoned on 30 June 1905 as unprofitable.

Coal was worked again in the early 1920s. The local record dates the colliery's opening between 1915 and 1922; the returns show the South Stannington Coal Company working the Brockwell with ten people in 1921, 17 in 1923, 30 in 1924 and 52 in 1925, raising steam coal and, from 1925, fireclay. S. Taylor was manager in 1921 and A. Bowman in 1923, neither certificated, and W. H. Stothard, who held certificate No. 102, from 1924. The colliery employed 29 when it was abandoned on 26 March 1927.

Geology

Under clay, gravel and freestone, the Brockwell seam, nearly six feet in three leaves divided by seggar clay, at 67 feet 8 inches; fireclay was also raised.

Workings

The Church Pit, sunk in 1878 to 76 feet 7 inches.

Closure

The Brockwell was abandoned as unprofitable on 30 June 1905; the later working was abandoned on 26 March 1927.

What remains

The site has been reclaimed.

Recorded claims

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

• Stannington's Church Pit was sunk in 1878 to a seam of nearly six feet of coal at 67 feet 8 inches. ^1,2
• The Brockwell seam at Stannington was abandoned as unprofitable on 30 June 1905. ^1,3
• The later colliery beside Stannington church opened between 1915 and 1922. ⁴
• Under the South Stannington Coal Company the colliery employed 52 people in 1925. ¹
• Stannington Church Colliery was abandoned on 26 March 1927. ^1,4

Photographs & further reading

Sources

1. (primary) Stannington Church Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
2. (primary) Stannington Church Colliery: strata sunk through in the Church Pit, 1878 — Durham Mining Museum
3. (primary) Stannington Church Colliery: catalogue of plans of abandoned mines — Durham Mining Museum
4. (secondary) Stannington Church Colliery — North East Heritage Library (Coals Archive)

Record created: 23 October 2026 · Last researched: 23 October 2026