St. Lawrence, Byker
St Lawrence Colliery, Newcastle
Last Updated:
17 Oct 2020
St. Lawrence, Byker
This is a
Colliery
54.971359, -1.584593
Founded in
Current status is
Demolished
Designer (if known):
Now a public park (by approximation)
'Opened 1833 by Messrs Todd, Dunn and Ridley. On 7 August 1833 guns were fired to celebrate the loading of the first vessel at the colliery. The shaft had been sunk to a depth of 94 fathoms in only 8 months. Whellan said the colliery originally opened in the 1700s, but it flooded with water. Friar's Goose engine (HER 1012) was used to drained it so that it could be reopened in 1833. The workings extended under Sandgate and the River Tyne. This was one of the first colleries to introduce a system of square tubs - the shafts were filled with cages and tubs guided by wooden spears placed one above the other, pulled up and down by two winding engines. The coals were then put on an inclined plane 400 yards long.'
- Sitelines
Listing Description (if available)
The two maps above illustrate the site of St Lawrences Colliery throughout the latter half of the 19th century. It seems the Colliery had been demolished by this point, though the area denoting 'Clay Pit' suggests the workings in this area. The 'Mushroom' name lives on in these also as a name for the area. Pit Rows can also be seen which suggest the historic mining site.