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This talk by John Whittle outlines the story of Blyth’s Crofton Mill Pit, which was opened in 1885 by the Cowpen Coal Company, to extract coal from seams under the sea bed. After its demise in 1969, the mine shaft was infilled, its surface buildings cleared and built over, the old pit yard was grassed over and its pit heap was planted with trees. The pit could easily have slipped into obscurity but for the efforts of a small group of determined volunteers.Following the creation of the Friends of Crofton Field to revitalise and transform the former mine site at the end of ‘lockdown’ in 2021, a determined effort was made to contact former miners and their families. A dozen or so men living as far afield as Australia were discovered and encouraged to share their stories of the mine before they became lost to posterity.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
County Hall, Front Car Park, Morpeth, Northumberland, United Kingdom
