1 Seaton Burn College 2 Seaton Burn War Memorial 3 St. Columba’s Church 4 Seaton Burn First School Seaton Burn College opened The War Memorial was opened on Seaton Burn boasted four The First School was built by Amos Gray in 1975 as Seaton Burn High 8 July 1922 by Rollo Samuel Barrett of churches or chapels during of and opened on 13 April School. It is now the only Brookside (7), President of the War the ninetenth/early twentieth 1878 by Mr. S. C. Crone, Chairman of the educational establishment in Memorial Committee. It was constructed century. The original St. School Board. Seaton Burn, catering for 600 by Emley & Sons of Newcastle upon Columba’s was located near the It educated the children of Seaton Burn students from Seaton Burn, Tyne at a cost of £980. It originally Co-op (11) on Front Street but was for almost 120 years until its closure and Dudley, and Wideopen. commemorated the 47 Seaton Burn men built on its present site in 1982/3. demolition in 1995 Famous pupils from who lost their lives in the First World Inside the church is a section of Seaton Burn High School include actor Robson Green and War, with the names of World War II the stained glass window from international footballer Andrew Sinton. casualties added later. the old church. See 4 for the information about Seaton Burn’s previous school. As a poignant reminder of the casualties of both wars, and because of its design merits, the memorial was Grade 2-listed by English Heritage in 2013.

13 5 Ralph Wilkinson The Moor House This is the site of the old Seaton Burn Colliery bridge. Built by George Surtees in 1858, the The bridge was originally wooden and carried coal Moor House is now the only public from Seaton Burn Colliery. In 1920, the stone and house in a village which once boasted iron bridge was built. five bars – the Six Mile Bridge Inn, the Ralph Wilkinson, aged 18, was a resident of High the Miners’ Arms (later the Drift Inn), the Cross Row. On 5 February 1907, he was apprehended The Black Bull, the Club, and the Moor for attempting to blow up the railway bridge. The House. story appeared in the local newspapers, where it Surtees remained at the Moor House was revealed that Ralph had lost his father six until he died in 1887, and may have months previously and this had greatly affected been responsible for the construction of eight dwellings near the pub, which trailTRAIL 1 trail his mental state. were known as Surtees Buildings. The only remaining building can still be In the 1911 census Ralph Wilkinson, appears as an inmate of Newcastle Gaol. seen behind the Moor House. He cannot be found after this date and may have died in the First World War. Dudley Lane 12 Jack Slater’s Newsagent These two houses were built in 1823, as a date inscribed on the beams in 6 Blagdon Terrace/Brookside the attic prove. They were known as Blagdon Terrace is one of the only Lees Cottages in the 1851 census. In remaining pit rows left in Seaton Burn about 1930, John (Jack) Russell Slater (see also Chapel Place 8). These three- bought his uncle John William Slater’s room houses could have housed families house and newsagent’s business here. of up to thirteen members! Many had The Slaters were very well-known and ‘attic rooms’ which were useless because respected in the area and served a large 13 2 11 12 the majority of the houses had no population (not only Seaton Burn, but e Av 3 ceilings! Sanitation would have been rntre e Blagdon, Arcot, Wideopen, , Dinnington Village, Brunswick, and Tho Bridge Street Six Mile basic, usually open middens running off ‘halfway to Dudley’). 5 Bridge to the nearby Seaton Burn. Chapel 9 Miners’ allotments and pigeon crees can be seen behind Blagdon Terrace. B Place 6 ce r 8 T e n 4 n gdo k t Bla 10 le r Path to 11 Thorntree Avenue & the Co-op Front Street y Cou This is the site of the old Co-op, which Blagdon Tce had a dance hall on its upper floor. On ay 7 y W Brookside 29 December 1941, German aircraft nkle Bre Blagdon Tce7 Built in about 1894 by Seaton Burn dropped bombs near this spot. The Colliery, it is no coincidence that the dance at the Co-op was evacuated, and Site of house is locateded so close to Blagdon one bomb hit a house on Thorntree Terrace and Mason View – reminding Avenue. Two young brothers, Sydney, Seaton Burn Colliery the workers that their bosses are nearby 6, and Cecil William Carr, 2, were and scrutinizing them! killed. Three other people were seriously injured. The Carr brothers are Brookside fell into a state of disrepair remembered on the War Memorial (2). until it was ‘bought’ from the NCB by a cooperative in the 1970s.

10 Seaton Burn Colliery 9 The Six Mile Bridge Inn 8 Chapel Place The first shaft of Seaton Burn Colliery was sunk in 1844 and, On 26 March 1833, William Buddle, a butcher from Newcastle, Known locally as the ‘V’, the United Methodist chapel once after that, the village grew rapidly, with miners coming from was attacked near Seaton Burn and robbed of £19 of gold, stood at its north end. Like Blagdon Terrace (6), the houses all over the country. For over one hundred years, the Colliery silver and notes. Despite putting up a brave fight, aided by on Chapel Place are typical of Victorian-era miners’ homes. was the major employer in the village. During the nineteenth his trusty dog, the villains – John Macbeth, James Kelley, A nineteenth-century newspaper describes the whitewashed century, it built the majority of the houses, provided gardens James Henry, and John Slater – fled with Buddle’s money. walls of some of the miners’ dwellings, but the Chapel Place and allotments so miners could feed themselves, opened a Buddle continued on to Seaton Burn and, at 2am, woke up walls were painted fairly recently. There were outside toilets, school, and provided the social facilities at the Welfare. the inhabitants of the Six Mile Bridge Inn, who tended to his and no gas or electricity until the 1950s. The owner of the first wounds. Buddle returned to Newcastle to tell the authorities television in Chapel Place welcomed neighbours to gather Work was dirty and dangerous – in 1860 an explosion at the of his ordeal. Macbeth and Kelly were eventually captured at round most evenings! It was also the scene of a community Colliery killed three men. Durham, and Slater and Henry were apprehended later, in effort when a resident’s false teeth were rescued from the netty! The colliery closed on 17 August 1965 after the seams had been Leicestershire. Their death sentences were later changed as it was noted that guns were involved, exhausted. Drift continued to use the site until after the Miners’ Strike in 1985. and Buddle could have been killed if the assailants had wished. They were transported.

M PROJECTPROJECT THE THE ABOUTABOUT to the story of Seaton Burn. community who, we are sure, will contine to add website and building strong links with the local from Seaton Burn College will contribute to the The project will continue to grow. Students complete. information boards and takes about 45 minutes to overleaf). The route consists of 13 plaques or form a ‘Heritage Trail’ (please see the map information boards around Seaton Burn. These been highlighted by the use of plaques and Key stories, characters, and venues have resource for the area. created to provide a permanent and ongoing continuously developing online archive has been Combining this with historical research, a and chatting to many members of the community. present this heritage, hosting coffee mornings, worked with Black Dog Design to gather and Year 8 students from Seaton Burn College have colourful heritage has been brought to life. discussions, and community events, a rich and overlooked, but through research, interviews, areas, this ex-mining community has often been e S

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www.seatonburnmemories.co.uk Visit our website for more facts, stories, and pictures: was not entirely based on religious beliefs, as beliefs, religious on based entirely not was did that religions the of followers became many alcohol! prohibit not Leisure time fields, the in play to happy were children Whilst grown-ups the streets, the on or heaps, pit the on which societies, and clubs own their established pubs. local the in meetings held usually Burn Seaton The Dinnington and Horticulture Gardeners and Improvement founded was Society held and 1856 in was Club Cricket Burn Seaton shows. annual Club Fishing the and 1873, about in established the won Club Football Burn Seaton 1881. in Aged The and League District & Cramlington Miner’s1933–4. in Cup next stands still which Institute, Mechanics The and 1898 in built was Inn, Bridge Mile Six the to table. billiards a and room reading a boasted nearby to travel to have always not did Villagers dances from Apart entertainment. for Newcastle Queen’s the pubs, the in concerts and Co-op the at was It 1921. about in opened House Picture Slater’sand Inn Bull Black the behind situated in cinema Reno the Additionally, newsagents. delights. cinematic other offered Wideopen Fun and games on the rows: residents wear fancy dress. 1920s. us through our website: email us at [email protected] or contact tribute to our project – stories or photographs please If you think you’ve got anything that you’d like to con - also like to thanks the Heritage Lottery Fund. City Library, and Northumberland Archives. We would com/photos/irishswissernie), Chris Smith, Newcastle Marge Craig, Howard Catterall, Ernie Brack (www.flickr. Dixon, John Harbottle, Julie Corby, Margaret Harris, Wilson, Bob Webster, Jennie Allan, Annie Gray, Alan donated material used for the project so far – Syd Design. We would like to thank everyone who kindly Burn College, the Heritage Lottery Fund, and Black Dog is a collaborative project between students from Seaton Seaton Burn Memories www.seatonburnmemories.co.uk Seaton Burn Colliery Site of

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Bridge Six Mile Six Seaton Burn, about 1904. SEATON BURN NOTES BURN SEATON most of the who provided Many thanks to Syd Wilson, for this short history. material at activity Roman of found been has Evidence in excavation an when Burn Seaton became what road. Roman a uncovered 1930s the coachesfor ) old the (later route major a on Being which Bridge, Mile Six of hamlet the horses, and ( 4 School First the near stood andrefreshment of need in travellers for point survivingoldest the is Inn Bridge Mile Six The rest. inwas It Burn. Seaton became what in building inncoaching a formerly was and 1769, by existence someis There travellers. aforementioned the for naturala utilised proprietors the that evidence ales. own their make to spring The birth of Seaton Burn is that history a has England of East North The Burn Seaton industry. coal the with intertwined north just 1844, in shaft first its sunk ( 10 ) Colliery the as know stream the and Bridge Mile Six of pit the location, this of Because Burn. Seaton Rural, Colliery. Burn Seaton as known became more became quickly very land agricultural around up sprung that village the and industrial, the by built being houses most with Colliery, the Burn. Seaton as known became owners, Colliery the 1851, in rapidly: expanded village The 1370. to grown had it 1891 by 606; was population