Bankfoot Coking Plant	Index	Bankfoot Coking Plant

Location:	Crook 8 miles [13 km] WSW of Durham
Map Ref:	(Sheet 92) NZ160365, 54° 43' 23" N, 1° 45' 6" W
Maps:	1860s map detailed map from the Ordnance Survey
	1928 map from Reid's Handy Colliery Guide
Opened:
Closed:	Oct 1960

Description

Coal is very extensively worked in this township [Crook and Billy Row], principally by Messrs. Pease & Partners, who have in addition to five pits a large number of coke ovens and a large fire brick works situated at Bank Foot. Here is produced the well known "Pease's West" coke. Amongst the ovens are a number of the Simon Carves type, the gases from which produce large quantities of sulphate of ammonia, benzol oil, and coal tar, as bye products. The collieries at present worked by this firm in this parish [Crook] are Roddymoor, sunk in 1844, where five seams are met, the "Main Coal" seam being 3 feet 9 inches thick, and 34 fathoms deep ; the "B" Seam, 2 feet 4 inches, 25 fathoms deep ; "Five Quarter," 3 feet 6 inches, 16½ fathoms ; "Ballarat," 1 foot 10 inches, 12½ fathoms ; and the "Yard," 3 feet, at a depth of 11 fathoms. These thicknesses and depths are a fair average of those seams met with in the Stanley Pit, the Sunniside Pit, and White Lea. At Sunniside and Stanley the "Harvey" seam is found ; in each place it is 2 feet thick. Stanley Pit was opened in 1850, White Lea in 1855, by Messrs. Bolckow, Vaughan & Co., and acquired by Messrs. Pease and Partners in 1889 ; Sunniside was opened in 1867. At these collieries, and at their very extensive brick works, coke ovens, and shops situated at Bank Foot, a large number of men are employed, giving a total of over 2000 men alone over 16 years of age. In addition to the above mentioned collieries, there are collieries at Woodifield and Low Bitchburn, the former worked by Messrs. Bolckow, Vaughan & Co., and the latter by the Low Bitchburn Coal Co. At Low Bitchburn there are four seams, the "Main Coal," 4 feet 6 inches ; "Top Main," 2 feet ; "Little Busty," 1 foot 8 inches ; and "Big Busty," 3 feet, all wrought by drifts. The Five Quarter, Ballarat, Hutton, and Harvey are also met here. The output is entirely converted into coke, which with the brick manufactory in connection with the pit gives employment to nearly 200 men and boys.

Woodifield is another colliery, the property of Messrs. Bolckow, Vaughan & Co., who are working the Constantine, Ballarat, Little Seam, and the Two Foot. The two former are worked by drifts, and the latter two by shafts, at a depth of 15 fathoms. The output is about 200 tons per day, and the number of men and boys employed is nearly 200. Low Bitchburn Colliery, a little to the south west of Crook, gives employment to about 180, and is working the "Main Coal", 4 feet 6 inches ; "Top Main," 2 feet ; "Little Busty," 1 foot 8 inches ; and the "Big "Busty," 3 feet, by drifts, making and output of about 200 tons daily. This is entirely converted into coke.

Whellan's 1894 Directory of County Durham

Disasters (5 or more killed)

None Found

Names of those killed at this colliery

Please note that this collection of names is by no means complete!

						Atkinson, John, 17 Feb 1897, aged 56, Coke Drawer, Died to-day while at work from heart disease
						Bentley, Percival, 13 Jul 1897, aged 16, Dauber, Suffocated while getting daub (i.e., clay and loam for use at coke ovens) from a heap. He and the other boys had burrowed a hole into the heap to get the damp daub, and when this boy was getting it, the heap fell in [More information ...]
						Coates, William, 11 Jan 1904, aged 62, Cartman, riding on his empty cart, and when near a railway crossing the whistle of a locomotive was blown, the horse reared and threw him into the cart, died same day
						Lockerby, Maxwell, 16 Feb 1916, aged 16, He was employed on the sulphuric acid plant. He was caught by the revolving shaft of the crusher - both his legs were broken, his right arm fractured, and he suffered other injuries. He was taken to the Cottage Hospital, Bishop Auckland, where he died within a few hours of admission. At the inquest Thomas Storey, who looked after the crusher, said that 'he had heard a shout and then a crunching noise and a boot flew out of the bunker and he stopped the machine. He looked towards the bunker, and saw the boy lying over the edge. His feet were in the bunker, and his head over the side ...' He tried to free him, but had to call for assistance. The lad's clothing was wrapped around the shaft and he was nearly naked
						Tweddle, Thomas, 25 Jul 1904, aged 21, Labourer, he was sitting upon the bearing of a shaft, close to which there was a collar with a stud-pin in it; his coat was caught by it, and he was wound round the shaft and killed
						5 names found

If you know of any fatalities missing from the above list then please contact us with the details and we will add them to our database.

Some of the names of mining fatalities on this web site have been kindly provided by Jim Grainger from his research into early newspapers (primarily the Durham Advertiser and Durham Chronicle) and are marked with .

  more information on some of the fatalities shown above

Collieries and Pits within 5 miles (8km)

  a simulated map showing the immediate vicinity of Bankfoot Coking Plant

  list of collieries/pits etc. near to Bankfoot Coking Plant

Credits

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	On this site
	Newspaper articles
	Pictures in the Gallery section for Bank Foot Coke Workd#s