Guidance notes
A century ago Burnhope was a bustling mining village, a tight knit community who looked out for each other, with 20 shops and 30 amenities, the streets full of people. The Colliery had 5 pits, 12 drift mines, gas works, brick works, pit yard with blacksmith, electrician, fitter, joinery making pit props, tub and rail wagon repair shops, and the line taking coal away on railway wagons.
We are celebrating Burnhope heritage with 20 exhibits permanently displayed around the village and surrounding countryside, all the exhibits with QR codes linked to 36 individual pages on burnhopeheritagetrail.co.uk. Each page opens with a brief description of the amenity, which you can pull down for photographs, memories and more historical information.
Mining Heritage Trail
On the roadside wall to the RHS of The Garage Bar and Grille entrance.
Turn left up the unmade track and walk out to and cross over Holmside Lane. Walk down Holmside Lane to the head of the path by Neil Johnston’s shop and walk ten metres down the path.
Mining Display Map with plaques 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 beside the map.
Step down this path back into history to discover Burnhope Colliery, past the Rifle Range, (old) Cricket Field Pavilion and the Band Hut, between Ada Rainbow’s Carriage and the Hay Shed for Pit Ponies. Ada Rainbow lived at No 1 The Avenue, children visited her to buy sweets when the railway carriage was condemned.
Burnhope Colliery was the other side of The Avenue. Water Reservoir and chimney for underground boilers, Gas Works, Fortune and Annie Pits, stone sorting shed where coal was loaded onto wagons, pit yard with blacksmith, joiner, electrician, fitter, coal railway wagons repair shop, stores of pit props and other mining materials. The shunting yards where the ‘sets’ of coal wagons were marshalled ready to be hauled up the Wagon Way to Craghead and onto the Staiths on the Tyne. No evidence remains today of Burnhope Colliery.
Walk down the path between the ‘Glass House’ and the large shed, over a low stile and find at the end of the garden fence.
Walk down the path, turn left onto a farm track, through a gate, turn left before the woods, down the path and find just before a bridge over the stream.
Walk up the path taking the left fork and find just before the property.
Plaque 27 Board Inn Off Licence
Cross over Holmside Lane.
Walk through the fields, past Fairy Wood on the left, coming out onto Green Lane. Walk up Green Lane and up the second bridleway on the left and find on your left just before the farm gate.
Walk back up the bridge way and turn right down Green Lane, right up the next bridleway and find opposite the water reservoir tanks.
Plaque 23 Bank Top Engine House
Turn left and walk down this path, which was the Wagon Way until the mine closed in 1949, onto Holmside Lane, walk past the war memorial, and turn right onto Edwards Walk.
1920s Old Village Display Map with plaques 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13,14 beside the map.
The centre of the old village was where the Wagon Way (no 8) crossed Holmside Lane. Burnhope had a huge park (no 9), this and the Park Methodist Chapel (no 10) were accessed from the wrought iron gates in the middle of the War Memorial (no 11). The Colliery School (no 12) was directly across the road, Knowles Shop (no 13) down Holmside lane just beyond the Wagon Way. The Church Hall (no 14) was beside St John’s Church (plaque 25 is on wall by the church gates).
Walk up Edwards Walk and right up Holmside Lane until Grey’s Buildings.
Plaque 15 Board Inn – Cartwheel
Walk up Pavilion Terrace and right back to The Garage Bar and Grille.