This report was drafted by Lee Hunwicks, and edited by David Cranstone, both of Cranstone Consultants, in response to a Brief from Northumberland County Council (NCC). We are grateful to Michael Collins (Assistant County Archaeologist, NCC), Barry Mead (Curator, Woodhorn Colliery Museum), Brian Thornton (Records Officer, The Coal Authority), Margaret Field (Environmental Projects Team, NCC , and the staff of Northumberland Record Office (Melton Park and Morpeth) for their assistance during the research.
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Introduction
1.1 - This archaeological assessment of the site of Woodhorn Colliery was commissioned by Northumberland County Council, prior to
development works on the site, and is in line with government advice contained in Planning Policy Guidance: Archaeology and Planning (PPG16).
1.2 - Woodhorn Colliery is an important monument of the Northumberland and national coal industry, retaining a range of surviving Scheduled and listed
buildings and structures, currently in museum and public display use. Whereas these buildings are understood to assessment level, other buildings and
structures demolished during and after the working life of the colliery, and are of particular importance to the client. The location,
interpretation, and importance of these non-standing structures, and the potential for survival as indicated by information on the character of
the demolition and site clearance, is presented in the assessment.
1.3 - Sources consulted for the working history of the colliery were the MPP Step 1 and 3 Reports, the English Heritage Scheduling documentation for the
site, published works on the Northumberland Coalfield and on coal mining nationally, including Tuck's Collieries of Northumberland and the five-volume
History of the British Coal Industry, all relevant OS map editions, Geological Survey 1" mapping (solid and drift editions), Northumberland SMR, and
archival information at Northumberland Record Office (including the Mining Institute collection), Woodhorn Colliery Museum, and the Environmental Projects
Team, NCC for details of site clearance during the 1980s. The Coal Authority were also consulted, but the records held by them which would have been of
concern to this project duplicated information held by the Environmental Projects Team.
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Archaeological Assessment of Woodhorn Colliery (Page 2 of 8)
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