Norman Dunn's 'Hebburn and our Neighbours Forum'

Norman Dunn's 'Hebburn and our Neighbours Forum'
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Wardley colliery

Posted by Carol in hampshire on 15/1/2026, 1:22 pm

Were there any diasters at wardley collieries?

Re: Wardley colliery

Posted by Norman on 15/1/2026, 1:40 pm, in reply to "Wardley colliery"

Wardley Colliery opened in 1855 and there was never any disasters there eg gas explosions, but a lot of men died in accidents.
In later years Wardley & the nearby 1901 opened colliery Follonsby were ran as one and they never had explosions either but quite a lot of accidental deaths.

Re: Wardley colliery

Posted by Carol in hampshire on 15/1/2026, 2:09 pm, in reply to "Re: Wardley colliery"

Thank you Norman

Re: Wardley colliery

Posted by Joseph on 16/1/2026, 2:16 pm, in reply to "Re: Wardley colliery"

Worked there few years, loved it, used to spend most of the time collecting fossils garden was full of them.

Re: Wardley colliery

Posted by Norman on 17/1/2026, 9:57 am, in reply to "Re: Wardley colliery"

I brought a perfect looking Fern fossil from Wardley that we still see growing in our countryside.It was in a drawer at home long before I got married & I think when mam or sister Marian had a 'clear out' it got binned.

Re: Wardley colliery

Posted by Stan Wears on 18/1/2026, 4:20 pm, in reply to "Re: Wardley colliery"

My best friend is Ian Robson who now lives in Brazil. His father Bob hung himself there in the 1960's. It was a real blow to his family.

Re: Wardley colliery

Posted by Norman on 19/1/2026, 12:19 pm, in reply to "Re: Wardley colliery"

A Colliery Fitter I sometimes worked with as an apprentice came across Mr Robson hanging from one of the arched girders that line the pitch black roadways that lead to the coal face. The light from his lamp lit the scene up so he lifted Mr Robson down but sadly he was dead.
For anyone who never visited a Coal Mine it is so dark in the underground roadways leading to the coal face that if you switch your lamp off you cant see anything not even your hand an inch from your eyes. Totally black,
The Main Roadways close to the Shafts are well lit though.

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