Blackhall Colliery

Blackhall Colliery

Main street at Blackhall Colliery
Blackhall Colliery
 Blackhall Colliery shown within County Durham
Unitary authorityCounty Durham
Ceremonial countyCounty Durham
RegionNorth East
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town Hartlepool
Postcode district TS27
Dialling code 0191
Police Durham
Fire County Durham and Darlington
Ambulance North East
EU Parliament North East England
UK ParliamentEasington
List of places
UK
England
County Durham

Coordinates: 54°44′46″N 1°17′18″W / 54.746093°N 1.288406°W

Middle Street (A1086)

Blackhall Colliery is a village on the North Sea coast of County Durham, in England. It is situated on the A1086 between Horden and Hartlepool. To the south of the Blackhall Colliery's Catholic church is Blackhall Rocks.

Built around the once extensive mining industry, Blackhall's colliery closed in 1981. There is now an industrial estate built over part of the old colliery buildings, the colliery itself was pulled down in the 1980s. [1] Blackhall Colliery is on the edge of Castle Eden Dene, and Castle Eden Dene Mouth.

Over the past couple of decades, there have been many changes. Following the closure of the colliery, the once busy village has economically gone downhill. As time has passed since the closure, other industries have now begun to emerge to once again create employment in the region.

With both Blackhall Colliery and Blackhall Rocks being on the main road to Peterlee and Hartlepool. This has meant that these villages have become commuter villages, supplying workers for the now busy and expanding call centres in the nearby towns of Hartlepool and Peterlee.


Blackhall beach

Blackhall Colliery Beach 2010

Blackhall beach made a notable appearance in the 1971 film Get Carter starring Michael Caine; in the climactic scenes the main character is involved in a chase across a coal-strewn beach.[2][3]

The film shows the beach black with coal spoilings, dumped there by mine's conveyor system. Since the mine closed, £10 million has been spent removing the conveyor and its massive concrete tower and cleaning tons of coal waste from the now pristine beach. [4]

Neighbouring beaches of Blackhall Colliery is Horden beach (North) and Crimdon beach (South), both are within 30 minutes of walking distance each way from the beach. The continuation of the improving regenerative beach can be seen via the coastline.


Photo gallery

References

  1. "Blackhall Colliery", SINE project (Structural images of the north east), Newcastle University
  2. "The 50 best beach scenes in the movies", The Daily Telegraph, 23 August 2008
  3. "Hoping to get Caine for coastal spectacle", The Northern Echo, 28 August 2000.
  4. "Northern revival", Richard Nelson, The Guardian, February 16 2002

External links