Blackhall Colliery
Site of Blackhall Colliery station in September 1970.
General information
LocationBlackhall Colliery, County Durham
England
Coordinates 54°45′02″N 1°17′30″W / 54.7505°N 1.2917°W / 54.7505; -1.2917
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyLNER
Post-groupingLNER
British Rail (North Eastern)
Key dates
24 July 1936Station opened
4 May 1964Station closed

Blackhall Colliery railway station served the village of Blackhall Colliery in County Durham, North East England. It was located on the Durham Coast Line, north of Blackhall Rocks and south of Horden.

History

The North Eastern Railway opened their new coastal line linking the former Londonderry, Seaham and Sunderland Railway at Seaham and the former Hartlepool Dock and Railway at Hart to passenger traffic on 1 April 1905.[1] This line was built, primarily, to avoid the steep gradients of the inland route at Ryhope Bank and Hesleden[2] but also provided access to the newly developed collieries along the Durham Coast.[3]

However, when the line was opened, the NER chose to build the station to serve the Blackhalls at what became Blackhall Rocks as sinking of the colliery at Blackhall did not begin until 1909 and thus the main traffic that was expected to use the station was that of tourists visiting the caves at Blackhall Rocks.[4] This meant that the village that developed to serve the colliery was left some distance from their nearest railway station.

Eventually, the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER), who had absorbed the NER in 1923, agreed to open an additional station to serve Blackhall Colliery. Construction of the station began on 6 July 1936 and was opened, just 18 days later, on 24 July 1936 by the then manager of Blackhall Colliery and county councillor Ernest Chicken who then proceeded to purchase the first ticket from the station ticket office.[5]

The station was recommended for closure in the Beeching Report and was duly closed on 4 May 1964[6] when all stopping services on the line between Sunderland and Hartlepool were withdrawn. Passenger services continue pass through the site of the station but run non-stop between Seaham and Hartlepool.[7]

References

  1. ↑ Body, Geoffrey (1989). PSL Field Guides - Railways of the Eastern Region Volume 2. Patrick Stephens Limited. pp. 66, 85 &150. ISBN 1852600721.
  2. ↑ Hill, Norman (2001). Teesside Railways A View From The Past. Ian Allan Publishing Ltd. p. 48. ISBN 0711028036.
  3. ↑ "blackhall_history_1_7" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 August 2017. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  4. ↑ Cliffs, Caves and Coal A Short History of the Blackhalls Area up to 1920. Deneholme Publishing. 2001. pp. 9, 19, 53 & 55. ISBN 0954149203.
  5. ↑ Blackhall Between The Wars - Part One - The Colliery and its influence. Blackhalls Local History Group. 2004. p. 49. ISBN 0954149211.
  6. ↑ Waller, Paul (2013). Rail Atlas The Beeching Era. Ian Allan Publishing ltd. pp. 67 & 104. ISBN 9780711035492.
  7. ↑ "Route 02 - Nunthorpe and Middlesbrough to Newcastle and Metrocentre" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 August 2017. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Blackhall Rocks
Line open; station closed		   London and North Eastern Railway
Durham Coast Line		   Horden
Line open; station closed


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