Woodhorn Colliery

Woodhorn Colliery was established in 1894 by the Ashington Coal Company and produced its first coal in 1901. At its height, in the early 20th century, over 2000 men and women were employed there. Coal was brought to the surface at Woodhorn between 1898 and 1966, then via Ashington Colliery until 1981. At its peak 600,000 tons of coal were produced each year. The buildings are built from local Ashington brick and include, two shafts with headgear and winding houses, fan and engine houses, workshops and a stable.

It was one of more than 200 mines that made up the Northumberland Coalfield. The colliery started to decline in the 1960s with the availability of cheaper alternative fuels, such as oil and gas, and closed in 1981. The buildings which survive today are rare survivals of a once widespread industry and are of particularly high quality and are now a scheduled ancient monument.

Woodhorn Museum grew out of the colliery site and opened in 1989. Woodhorn brings to life Northumberland’s proud mining heritage, including the Ashington Group Collection of artworks (commonly known as the ‘Pitmen Painters’) which showcases what daily life was really like for miners in and around Ashington from the 1930s, alongside an ever-changing contemporary arts and event programme.