Research Projects

by Jane Hatcher

General Background History

The name Blackhall has two components:- ‘black’ is from the Old English "blaec" meaning dark, probably referring to dark soil; ‘hall’ is either from the Old English word for a residence, or the Old Norse "hallr" meaning rock or stone: in view of the Blackhall Rocks the latter may be the right one (1). An Anglo-Saxon burial mound discovered near the coastguard station in 1916 (2) shows that there was settlement in the area long before the present Blackhall was built.

The present settlement of Blackhall grew up around the colliery which opened early in the 20th century, and Blackhall therefore does not appear on early Ordnance Survey maps. The 2nd edition ofthe 6" map of 1898 shows what is probably a farm called Black Halls. This seems to be a local term as to the north there is also North Black Halls and to the south Tweddle Black Halls. Further south is the North Eastern Railway’s Sunderland and Hartlepool line, and Monk Hesleden, the township which included Blackhall. Monk Hesleden was also Blackhall’s ecclesiastical parish, although this itself had only become a separate parish in 1882 (3), such was the increase in new settlements near County Durham’s coast as deep mining was developed in the late-19th and early-20th centuries.

The new colliery village was built to a higher standard than many. The overall plan was based on a grid, with three main streets running parallel to the coast; East Street, Middle Street and West Street; and eleven cross streets of terrace houses running at right angles, these being named First Street, Second Street etc. The architect’s plans and bills of quantities survive (4) for 26 houses in West Street, the client being named as the Blackhalls Syndicate, and the date 1913, although it would seem that the outbreak of the First World War prevented them being built for some time, as West Street is not shown on the 3rd edition of the 6 inch Ordnance Survey map of 1922. The syndicate was doubtless one of the groups encouraged by the coal owners to construct ‘scheme’ houses which helped miners buy their own houses (5).

The 1922 map does of course show Blackhall Colliery, it lies on the coastward side of the railway line which runs parallel to the coast and extremely close to the houses. A school is shown on the inland side of Middle Street. By 1914 (6) the colliery settlement also had a temporary mission room which could seat 120. There was also a physician and surgeon, a chemist, a solicitor, other facilities which included a builder and an undertaker, a post office, refreshment rooms and a hotel, and shops which included a newsagent, fruiterers, butcher, drapers, hairdresser, confectioners, and grocers including a Walter Willsons and the Blackhall branch of the Station Town Co-operative Society (7). A number of further facilities were added in the 1920s, and a prize band was functioning at least by 1928 (8). Architectural designs for a new vicarage and parish hall were drawn up in 1926 (9).

By 1938 the local trades directory (10) shows Blackhall Colliery having an increased range of facilities. There is now a Salvation Army Hall on East Street, the London Lending Library on Middle Street, and as well as duplication of some of the types of shops already mentioned there are now banks, insurance agents and a building society, and several entries which reflect changing social trends such as motor and wireless engineers and the Super Cinema.

Mining History

Blackhall Colliery was a deep mine sunk by Horden Collieries Ltd. in 1909 (11) but it was 1913 before any coal was drawn as the geological conditions proved to be very difficult. Not only was the coal overlaid by a thick layer of limestone, but above the limestone was a considerable depth of sand which contained a lot of water. Although Blackhall Colliery was always to have water problems, the water at least served some domestic purposes, although it was not suitable for drinking (12). The 1922 map shows an incline running from the colliery to the sea. The incline was used not only to take coal waste down for the tides to disperse it, but also to bring sand from the beach up to the mine where it was used underground to make cement.

Although the pitmen’s houses at Blackhall were of a high standard relative to many others, the only bathing facilities were the usual tin bath in front of the fire and water heated by the fire. The opening of the colliery’s pithead baths marked a great improvement in the quality of home life. The date of the baths is variously given as 1934 (13) and 1939 (14). They were an impressive example of ‘Modern Movement’ architecture designed by F. G. Frizzell, in red brick using a wide variety of brick bonds including vertical bonding (15). The winding gear of Blackhall Colliery was photographed, possibly in the 1960s, by the nationally-famous photographer J. Allan Cash (16).

Blackhall Colliery closed in 1981 (17) and 732 men transferred to other collieries (18).

References

(1) Eilert Ekwall, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names, (1977); and Victor Watts, A Dictionary of County Durham Place-Names, (2002).

(2) Durham County Council, Coal mining in County Durham, (1993), p.48.

(3) Kelly’s Directory of Durham and Northumberland (1914), p. 310.

(4) Durham County Record Office [afterwards DCRO] D/WH 1/5/1.

(5) Durham County Council, Coal mining in County Durham, (1993), p.136.

(6) Kelly’s Directory of Durham and Northumberland (1914), p. 310.

(7) Kelly’s Directory of Durham and Northumberland (1914), p. 311.

(8) DCRO D/Ph 162/33.

(9) DCRO D/HF 9/1.

(10) Kelly’s Directory of Durham and Northumberland (1938), pp. 200-201.

(11) DCRO Durham Collieries, (2001), p. 17, quoting NCB 24/117.

(12) Durham County Council, Coal mining in County Durham, (1993), p.48.

(13) Durham County Council, Coal mining in County Durham, (1993), p.71.

(14) Nikolaus Pevsner, The Buildings of England: County Durham, (1983), p. 110 and plate 97.

(15) Nikolaus Pevsner, The Buildings of England: County Durham, (1983), p.110.

(16) John Weaver, Exploring England’s Heritage – Cumbria to Northumberland, (HMSO/English Heritage, 1992), p. 106.

(17) DCRO Durham Collieries, (2001), p. 17, quoting NCB 24/4.

(18) Durham County Council, Coal mining in County Durham, (1993), p.137.
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