Beamish Museum: Colliery

The Colliery in Beamish Museum is in the south of the site, inside the tram oval, to the east of the Pit Village, through which it is accessed, via Pitfield Street. The site has a railway system, which also has some sidings which extend NW around the northern edge of the village.

General views

The Pith Head and Boiler House buildings are at the south of the site. From the head, a wooden railway gangway extending north to a slag heap, and a covered conveyor extending west over the railway. The rails run north, with sidings to two engine sheds, with the track exiting north between them. On the east side is the Lamp Cabin

Looking north over the pit head to the engine sheds, lamp cabin on the left
Looking north to the pit head
Looking north over the pit head to the engine sheds, lamp cabin on the left
Looking north over the pit head to the engine sheds
Looking north over the pit head to the engine sheds
The slagheap and pit head from the west
The boiler house, gangway & pit head, from the west
The boiler house, gangway & pit head, from the NW
The boiler house, gangway & pit head, from the NW
The boiler house, gangway & pit head, from the NW
The boiler house, gangway & pit head, from the NW
The boiler house, gangway & pit head, from the NW
Pit head from the west (1983)
The view NW across the railway to the Lamp Cabin & engine sheds (from the pit head)
The view NW across the railway to the Lamp Cabin & engine sheds (from the pit head)
The view NW across the railway to the Lamp Cabin & engine sheds (from the pit head)
The view NW across the railway to the Lamp Cabin & engine sheds (from the pit head)
The view NW across the railway to the Lamp Cabin & engine sheds (from the pit head)
The view NW across the railway to the entrance (from the pit head)
The view NW across the railway to the engine works (from the pit head)
The view north up the track between the railway (left) and spoil heap (right)
The view SE along the west side of the engine works
The view S to the Lamp Cabin
The view NW to the Engine Works
The view NW to the Engine Works
The view N across the railway
The view N across the railway

Entrance

Entrance sign
(the the B-Type bus turning in the yard)
Pitfield Street side
(the the B-Type bus entering)
Colliery side
Colliery side

Entrance building

Object location	54° 53′ 01.33″ N, 1° 39′ 39.83″ W	View all coordinates using: OpenStreetMap	54.883702; -1.661065

Standing just to the north of the entrance is this small building.

NE corner

Pit head structures

At the head of the pit are two buildings - a square brick tower, which is the winding engine house, and the red heapstead (timber framed headstock building). A stationary steam engine in the engine house powers the winding wheel at the top of the heapstead - this hoists men and material up the mine shaft - the material is then screened, with the spoil sent along the elevated timber railway to the spoil heap, and the coal tipped into wagons on the railway sidings below.

Exterior overview

Engine house:

Object location	54° 52′ 58.93″ N, 1° 39′ 32.77″ W	View all coordinates using: OpenStreetMap	54.883036; -1.659102

Exterior detail

SE corner of the winding engine house
Ascent/descent times on the SE corner
North side of the winding engine house
North side of the hepstead, spoil railway on the left

Interior

Winding engine

Jack engine

The Jack engine is used as a secondary power source in the winding engine house.

Wolsingham Engine

The Wolsingham Engine is a small steam engine in the hepstead that powers the picking belts (jiggers)

Hepstead

Lift shaft

Slag heap rail gangway

Boiler House

Object location	54° 52′ 59.61″ N, 1° 39′ 31.96″ W	View all coordinates using: OpenStreetMap	54.883225; -1.658877

West side (from the pit head building)
West side (from the pit head building)
West side

Coal winch

Object location	54° 52′ 59.38″ N, 1° 39′ 34.37″ W	View all coordinates using: OpenStreetMap	54.883162; -1.659548

west side
north end
south end (from the pithead)
south end (from the pithead)
south end (from the pithead)

Lamp Cabin

Object location	54° 52′ 59.7″ N, 1° 39′ 38.13″ W	View all coordinates using: OpenStreetMap	54.883249; -1.660593

Exterior

east side
east side
east side
east side
north end

Interior

Lamps (reenactment area)
Big E sign (exhibition area)

Colliery railway

Standard gauge

Beamish Engine Works & smaller shed, from the south
The view south out of the small engine shed

West sidings

Looking west
Looking east
Looking east
Coffee Pot No. 1 in the sidings north of the village (tram depot in the distance)

Beamish Engine Works

Object location	54° 53′ 01.62″ N, 1° 39′ 38.21″ W	View all coordinates using: OpenStreetMap	54.883783; -1.660615

Exterior

West elevation
West elevation
West elevation
West elevation
South end
South end

Interior

Narrow gauge

Colliery, spoil heap shed (north)

Drift mine

The former 'Mahogany Drift'. The mouth of the drift mine tunnel is in the south west corner of the Colliery site. Opening near the lamp cabin, it runs directly south, under the southern section of the tramway. Outside, a small wagon way runs north along the west side of the lamp cabin, to winding gear (a Tinsley Winch) at its NW corner.

Tunnel entrance: