Murton Colliery
“By the late 18th century the High Main Seam in the eastern part of the colliery around Murton had been worked out and the colliery and the waggonway to the Murton area closed. In the 1800s, as technology allowed, the old Murton pits were reopened to exploit deeper coal seams and to extract associated ironstone deposits. A map of 1811 shows the D and E pits at New York to the south of Murton.” (Source – Sitelines)
Murton Colliery
Murton E or Engine Pit – Location today at the rear of the Wheatsheaf Inn
Murton Moor Mine Abandonment Plans
These plans in PDF format show the abandoned underground workings in the Murton area. These are the actual workings before abandonment. A large volume of coal would have been left in the support pillars, this was often “robbed out” and recovered as the pit working were being abandoned, a risky operation, the roof was left unsupported.
Surface subsidence from past coal mining is a fact and inherent in the area in which we live, the topic is very complex and emotive for those concerned, not something for a local history site to cover, suffice to say it is a know risk and developers / house buyers have to take due diligence.
A typical Bell Pit and surface subsidence you can see today (image British Coal – Northumberland area)
Board & Pillar Mining
“A” is a typical Bell Pit, shallow coal seams, as much coal removed as the roof could safely accept before collapsing, then move on to the next “Bell”, dumping the spoil as loose fill in the original hole.
“B” is a form of long wall mining, this allows machinery to be used and thus is far more efficient.
“C” is board and pillar, the coal is removed from the roads and cross streets, the pillar sizes and spacing depending on how much weight the strata above could support. You can see that significant amounts of coal are left unmined, which is why the pillar were taken out (robbed) as workings were abandoned, the ceiling will collapse, and depending on the mine depth the subsidence will slowly make its way to the surface as a large feature. Of note in our area are the number of large shallow ponds that we know today as nature reserves, The Rising Sun, Killingworth Lake and Holywell pond being a few. Images from birdwatchingsites.co.uk
Rising Sun Pond
The Rising Sun Pithead
Holywell Pond
