John T.W Bell

John Thomas William Bell (1807-1869) - more usually referred to as J.T.W. Bell - was a civil engineer and land surveyor who worked with various mines and railways, mainly in the North East. Between 1842 and 1861 Bell surveyed the Great Northern Coalfield, which was made up of the Northumberland Coalfield to the north and the Durham Coalfield to the south, and produced six plans to a scale of 2½ inches to the mile. They are very detailed, showing mines, quarries, railways, noting landownership and boundaries, and provide an invaluable source of information for those studying the history of the region. Though, at the time they were advertised in local newspapers and sold for two guineas plain and three guineas coloured. They are also something of a work of art! 

The Maps:

1. Hartlepool District, 1843. S.E. Durham covering the area between Lumley and Ferryhill in the west and Seaham and Hartlepool in the east.  
2. Tyne and Wear Coal Districts, 1843. Covering the area between Blaydon and South Shields in the north and Stanley and Seaham in the south.
3. Newcastle Coal District, 1847. S.E. Northumberland covering the area between Whalton to Blyth in the north and Wylam to Tynemouth in the south. This plan was dedicated "by permission" to George Stephenson.
4. Blyth and Warkworth Coal Districts, 1851.  N.E. Northumberland covering the area between Low Newton and Amble in the north and Morpeth and Blyth in the south.
5. Auckland Coal District, 1852. South West Durham covering the area between Wolsington Park and Durham City in the north and Cockfield Fell and Sim Pasture in the south.
6. Western Coal District, 1861. South West Northumberland and North West Durham covering the area between Bywell and Newcastle in the north and Waskerley and Ushaw in the south.

Entry written by Ian Wishop.