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The rich industrial history of Blyth includes a long   tradition of coal mining. 

Blyth's motto is "We Grow By Industry" and Blyth certainly did just that. 

Rope works, ship building and breaking and the busiest coal port in the United Kingdom all played huge parts in the growth of the town

But no industry was more important than mining to this area. In the first half of the twentieth century there were no less than five mines working in the town. 

Mining had been present far before that time but this section takes a brief look at those five mines. 

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Bates Colliery

Bates closed in 1986 after the protracted miners strike had ended in defeat for the National Union of Mineworkers. As the miners had feared, a programme of mass closures quickly followed and although Bates had large reserves of coal under ground and was profitable, it wasn't immune.

Blyth's final pit closure resulted in the loss of 1735 direct jobs and thousands more in the supply chain.

The site is now used by a school and the Port of Blyth. A housing estate is also almost complete on the site. 

There is a solar farm and water purification scheme, which consists of a series of large reed filled ponds on what was the rail yard.

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Croften Mill Colliery

Crofton Mill opened in 1885 The colliery was sunk on the site of an old mill by the Cowpen and North Seaton Coal Company. This company was later taken over by the Mickly Coal Company in 1923 and, following nationalisation, it operated until it was closed in July 1969. The colliery had one shaft, which was 558 feet deep, and an underground shaft. It had an escape route through North Pit, later called Bates Pit and there were also underground connections to Isabella Pit. Crofton worked ten seams of coal using many different mining methods. It was also a highly mechanised colliery achieving a peak output of 366.000 tons of coal.

The pit yard was grassed over after closure in 1969 and was for many years used for the town carnival fun fair each summer. It's sometimes referred to locally as the goose field as geese were kept in an adjoining property and were often allowed to roam free over the field.

January 

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1956

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"Lazy" pit pony not for sale

Many letters have been received at Crofton Mill Colliery, Blyth, Northumberland, asking what was to happen to the pit pony Jet, whose alleged disinclination for work led to a one day stoppage at the pit last Friday. A Cardiff woman sent a telegram offering a "happy home" if Jet were to be taken out of the pit.

"The pony is not for sale," said a Coal Board official yesterday. "In spite of its habits it is a good pony and only six years old."

During the weekend the colliery management agreed that Jet should be taken off its coal hauling job. It is to be used on stone hauling in the pit.

The miners were back at work yesterday.

Isabella Colliery

First opened around 1850 the Isabella was in operation until 1966. At it's peak it employed 917 men and boys. None of the buildings remain but a large pit heap is still there today although unrecognisable, the area is now covered with trees and nature trails. 

One of the last buildings to be demolished in the 1980's was referred to by local kids as the haunted mansion. 

The heap is a popular location for sledging when ever it snows as can be seen it the video below.

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Bebside Colliery

At the time of opening in 1858 Bebside was a village in it's own right. It was by all accounts very well kept, winning awards for the best kept colliery village. 

Very little remains of the pit today and the site is largely wasteland. If you look closely however, some of the remains of the demolished buildings can still be found among the bushes and grass. Some ventilation pipes are also still present.

The whole site is about to undergo redevelopment and will soon be part of one of Blyth's two new railway stations which will once again link South East Northumberland with North Tyneside. 

Deaths at this mine include a disturbing report of a one year old child who lived adjacent to the waggon sidings with his father, on the 27th of July 1905 William Gray Nicholson was playing on the tracks other children were also playing on the line while a North Eastern Railway Co.'s engine was at the Colliery, and he was run over. No one appears to have seen the accident happen [fatality reported during the year but not classified as a reportable accident]

The colliery closed in 1926

New Deleval Colliery

Opened in 1859 the area where Newsham Colliery was situated is unrecognisable today. More or less nothing remains of the plant. Today the site is occupied by Blyth Golf Course.

Older generations will remember the Yellow Babby which was a stream which ran along next to the pit heap, which has been landscaped to shape the golf course. 

The pit heap itself was known as Red Rock Canyon to the youngsters of the day. 

The colliery closed in 1955.

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If you have any memories or stories about mining in the Blyth area we'd love to hear from you and feature them on this website. 

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