Easington Colliery

Easington Colliery began when the pit was sunk in 1899, near the coast; indeed the pylon for the aerial flight that carried tubs of colliery waste from the mine stood just inside the North Sea. Thousands of workers came to the area from all parts of Britain, and with the new community came new shops, pubs, clubs, and many rows of terraced "colliery houses" for the mine workers and their families. On 7 May 1993, the mine was closed, with the loss of 1,400 jobs, causing a decline in the local economy. The pit shaft headgear was demolished the following year. The village's former infant and junior schools were built in 1911. They are adjacent to Seaside Line but lie derelict. A development…

From the pit bottoms, the main roadways extended 380 yd to the north, where the West Level branched off and ran for 640 yd west to the junction with the Straight North Headings, which head north via drifts into the Five Quarter seam. The West Level continued into a training area. Around 300 yd along the Straight North Headings was a further junction where the First West Roads headed west. Some distance further on the second and third roads branched off. Along the First West roads were a number of headings both north and south. The seat of the explosion was at the far end, down the Third South heading. At the end of the Third South heading a cross passage was driven and "long wall"…