Pegswood
Encyclopedia
Pegswood is a mining village
in Northumberland
, England, and the site of the former Pegswood colliery. Pegswood is two miles (3 km) east of Morpeth
and three miles (5 km) west of Ashington
, with a population of around 3260. Pegswood is on a small hill above the valley in which Morpeth is situated, close to the River Wansbeck
and to the river Brocks Burn. Its climate is temperate; the village rarely sees snow.
Though the original colliery closed, mining was practiced until quite recently: as late as 1997, mining company The Banks Group opened up a 170 acre (0.6879662 km²) open-pit mine at Pegswood Moor, from which they extracted some 1.4 million tons of coal, with the help of a 236-ton face shovel made by Orenstein & Koppel. Also reaped was 84,000 tons of fire clay
, a kind of high temperature resistant clay often found between coal layers. Mining there stopped in 2004, and the pit was converted into the Pegswood Community Park, which includes "a dedicated nature reserve, a new woodland and ponds." The second phase of the park's construction would also "provide a fishing lake, an amphitheatre sculpted out of the landform and a footpath link from Pegswood to Morpeth." Extensive open-pit mining still takes place in the area, but such operations remain controversial even when former sites are restored.
Like many other "former pit villages," Pegswood has benefited from increased interest among especially young families, who are attracted to such places for the countryside and the quality of education. Since 1969, when the pit closed, the town has welcomed new development plans and new housing estates have been built in an effort by Pegswood to "reinvent itself as a cheaper rural alternative to Morpeth and Newcastle." More recent renewal efforts include plans for a facelift for its Welfare Centre and a £48,000 garden with the colliery as its theme. Local services are also being improved.
took over, following the 1946 Coal Industry Nationalisation Act. Starting in 1914, fire clay
began to be produced besides coal. The colliery never had more employers than in 1921, with 857 employed underground and 182 above. No mining disasters (more than five dead) have happened; an incomplete list of mining deaths lists 54 fatalities.
. Amendment: There is no bridge over the River Wansbeck in Pegswood. There is a bridge over the East Coast Mainline and a small footbridge off the back of the Pit Heap but the river Wansbeck is perhaps 1.5 miles (2.4 km) South of Pegswood, although in the nearby Hamlet of Bothal there is a footbridge (that is not for public access) which does cross the River Wansbeck
In 2010 funded by Welbeck Estates, Fire was erected on the Bothal Roundabout. Dubbed Robin of Pegswood, a bronze figure standing near the top of a stainless steel girder. The girder juts from the ground at an angle and its tip is curved into the shape of a bow with the bronze figure firing a “shoveled” arrow from it. Northumberland County Council have now installed lighting to enhance it's night time viewing (and it now adorns a Newcastle United FC scarf following the triumphant 5-1 victory over Sunderland).
on the East Coast Main Line
; rail services link Pegswood to Morpeth, Cramlington and Newcastle. Arriva
run bus services to Morpeth, Ashington, Alnwick and Newcastle.
Pegswood lies on the A197 road
, at the same distance from Morpeth as from Ashington, and has recently had a £9 million bypass built to the south, removing about half of traffic through the village. The bypass also necessitated a bridge, which is made from "the same weathering steel as the Angel of the North
". Ironically, the man who fought for thirty years to have the bypass built, the then Parish Council chairman Jim Burley, was the first person to crash on it, in 2007; he was not seriously hurt.
Pit village
A pit village is a term used in the UK for the village serving a deep coal mine.Many of the workers lived in houses that were provided by the colliery. Many villages have experienced depopulation after colliery closures forced people to move to other towns and cities where there are jobs for them...
in Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, England, and the site of the former Pegswood colliery. Pegswood is two miles (3 km) east of Morpeth
Morpeth, Northumberland
Morpeth is the county town of Northumberland, England. It is situated on the River Wansbeck which flows east through the town. The town is from the A1, which bypasses it. Since 1981, it has been the administrative centre of the County of Northumberland. In the 2001 census the town had a population...
and three miles (5 km) west of Ashington
Ashington
Ashington is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England with a population of around 27,000 people; it was once a centre of the coal mining industry. The town is located some north of Newcastle upon Tyne off the A189. The south of the town is bordered by the River Wansbeck...
, with a population of around 3260. Pegswood is on a small hill above the valley in which Morpeth is situated, close to the River Wansbeck
River Wansbeck
The River Wansbeck runs through the county of Northumberland, England. It rises above Sweethope Lough on the edge of Forelaws Forest in the area known locally as The Wanneys ; runs through the town of Ashington before discharging into the North Sea at Sandy Bay near Newbiggin-by-the-Sea.The River...
and to the river Brocks Burn. Its climate is temperate; the village rarely sees snow.
History
Pegswood started as a small farming settlement, but increased with the discovery of coal and the opening of the Pegswood colliery, ca. 1872. The colliery shut in 1969, however the village is still a pit. All that is left today are the Pit Heap, now a park, and the entrance to the mine shaft, now in the Bothal Court estate. Coinciding with the coal industry, there was also a brickworks in Pegswood, which has since closed down.Though the original colliery closed, mining was practiced until quite recently: as late as 1997, mining company The Banks Group opened up a 170 acre (0.6879662 km²) open-pit mine at Pegswood Moor, from which they extracted some 1.4 million tons of coal, with the help of a 236-ton face shovel made by Orenstein & Koppel. Also reaped was 84,000 tons of fire clay
Fire clay
Fire clay is a term applied to a range of refractory clays used in the manufacture of ceramics, especially fire brick.High grade fire clays can withstand temperatures of 1775°C , but to be referred to as a "fire clay" the material must withstand a minimum temperature of 1515°C...
, a kind of high temperature resistant clay often found between coal layers. Mining there stopped in 2004, and the pit was converted into the Pegswood Community Park, which includes "a dedicated nature reserve, a new woodland and ponds." The second phase of the park's construction would also "provide a fishing lake, an amphitheatre sculpted out of the landform and a footpath link from Pegswood to Morpeth." Extensive open-pit mining still takes place in the area, but such operations remain controversial even when former sites are restored.
Like many other "former pit villages," Pegswood has benefited from increased interest among especially young families, who are attracted to such places for the countryside and the quality of education. Since 1969, when the pit closed, the town has welcomed new development plans and new housing estates have been built in an effort by Pegswood to "reinvent itself as a cheaper rural alternative to Morpeth and Newcastle." More recent renewal efforts include plans for a facelift for its Welfare Centre and a £48,000 garden with the colliery as its theme. Local services are also being improved.
Pegswood colliery
The existence of coal is attested in documentation dating from 1754. The Pegswood colliery was one of many in the north-east of England. The colliery opened ca. 1872 and was in operation until 1969. Acquired by the S.H. Fraser company in the 1880s, in 1947 the National Coal BoardNational Coal Board
The National Coal Board was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the mines on "vesting day", 1 January 1947...
took over, following the 1946 Coal Industry Nationalisation Act. Starting in 1914, fire clay
Fire clay
Fire clay is a term applied to a range of refractory clays used in the manufacture of ceramics, especially fire brick.High grade fire clays can withstand temperatures of 1775°C , but to be referred to as a "fire clay" the material must withstand a minimum temperature of 1515°C...
began to be produced besides coal. The colliery never had more employers than in 1921, with 857 employed underground and 182 above. No mining disasters (more than five dead) have happened; an incomplete list of mining deaths lists 54 fatalities.
Architecture
Some typical colliery-style houses from the late nineteenth century still exist in Pegswood. Three noteworthy eighteenth-century houses remain, as well as a few remains from a fifteenth-century chapel. Also of note is a bridge spanning the River WansbeckRiver Wansbeck
The River Wansbeck runs through the county of Northumberland, England. It rises above Sweethope Lough on the edge of Forelaws Forest in the area known locally as The Wanneys ; runs through the town of Ashington before discharging into the North Sea at Sandy Bay near Newbiggin-by-the-Sea.The River...
. Amendment: There is no bridge over the River Wansbeck in Pegswood. There is a bridge over the East Coast Mainline and a small footbridge off the back of the Pit Heap but the river Wansbeck is perhaps 1.5 miles (2.4 km) South of Pegswood, although in the nearby Hamlet of Bothal there is a footbridge (that is not for public access) which does cross the River Wansbeck
In 2010 funded by Welbeck Estates, Fire was erected on the Bothal Roundabout. Dubbed Robin of Pegswood, a bronze figure standing near the top of a stainless steel girder. The girder juts from the ground at an angle and its tip is curved into the shape of a bow with the bronze figure firing a “shoveled” arrow from it. Northumberland County Council have now installed lighting to enhance it's night time viewing (and it now adorns a Newcastle United FC scarf following the triumphant 5-1 victory over Sunderland).
Religion
There is a single church in Pegswood, St. Margaret's. A former church has been converted into housing and is still for sale in 2010. This is incorrect as the former church was sold to the current house owner in 2007, who still currently live there.Transport
Pegswood is served by Pegswood railway stationPegswood railway station
Pegswood railway station is a small railway station on the south east edge of Pegswood village in Northumberland, England. It is on the East Coast Main Line so a wide variety of trains pass through the station but very few stop there....
on the East Coast Main Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
; rail services link Pegswood to Morpeth, Cramlington and Newcastle. Arriva
Arriva
Arriva plc is a multinational public transport company owned by Deutsche Bahn and headquartered in Sunderland, United Kingdom. It has bus, coach, train, tram and waterbus operations in 12 countries across Europe, employs more than 47,500 people and services over 1.5 billion passenger journeys each...
run bus services to Morpeth, Ashington, Alnwick and Newcastle.
Pegswood lies on the A197 road
A197 road (England)
The A197 road is a road in England connecting Clifton, Northumberland and Newbiggin-by-the-Sea....
, at the same distance from Morpeth as from Ashington, and has recently had a £9 million bypass built to the south, removing about half of traffic through the village. The bypass also necessitated a bridge, which is made from "the same weathering steel as the Angel of the North
Angel of the North
The Angel of the North is a contemporary sculpture, designed by Antony Gormley, which is located in Gateshead,formerly County Durham, England.It is a steel sculpture of an angel, standing tall, with wings measuring across...
". Ironically, the man who fought for thirty years to have the bypass built, the then Parish Council chairman Jim Burley, was the first person to crash on it, in 2007; he was not seriously hurt.
Notable residents
- Billy Kidd (footballer)Billy Kidd (footballer)Billy Kidd is a former professional footballer who played for Chesterfield F.C. for the whole of his professional career. He was born in Pegswood.-External links:**-References:...
- Tommy WrightTommy WrightThomas James Wright is a former footballer.-Club career:He joined Everton as an apprentice in 1964 and made 373 appearances at right back and scored four goals...
(footballer) - Darren JacksonDarren JacksonDarren Jackson is a Scottish former international footballer who played predominantly as a striker.- Career :...
(footballer)