Silksworth Colliery
- Category: Silksworth and area
- Published: Sunday, 05 April 2020 12:36
- Written by Administrator
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The village of Old Silksworth is little more than a quiet hamlet, pleasantly situated, three and a half miles south-west from Sunderland, and about a mile south-west from the colliery village, New Silksworth. Near the colliery, there are a few houses occupied by the colliery officials.
New Silksworth is a populous colliery village, three miles south-south-west from Sunderland, entirely of a mining community. There are the usual shops, schools, and chapels. The village is almost entirely within the township of Tunstall, and the houses seem somewhat superior to the older colliery villages.
There is no railway communications, therefore brakes and buses ply daily between here and Sunderland.
The Colliery School is a large building, erected by the Marquis of Londonderry (the colliery proprietor) in 1875. It provides rooms for 290 boys, 290 girls, and 270 infants, and has an average attendance of 230 boys, 230 girls, and 172 infants. A house for the master and another for the mistress are provided.
The Miners Hall - This fine building is situated in Blind Lane, and was commenced about April 1893. It is a spacious building of brick, with stone facings in the Italian style, comprising large lecture-hall, with gallery and platform well lighted and tastefully decorated. This hall, which may be let for all kinds of public entertainments, will seat 900. On the right of the hall are billiard, reading, and recreation rooms. The total cost, with the site, amounted to £3300. It is the property of the Miners' Union.