Woodhorn, part of Museums Northumberland and formerly known as Woodhorn Colliery Museum, is located in

Ashington Ashington is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, with a population of 27,864 at the 2011 Census. It was once a centre of the coal mining industry. The town is north of Newcastle upon Tyne, west of the A189 and bordered to the ...

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

, England. The museum depicts the lives of

coal mine Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...

workers and features original buildings and equipment from the former

colliery Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...

, including the two

headframe A headframe (also known as a gallows frame, winding tower, hoist frame,Ernst, Dr.-Ing. Richard (1989). ''Wörterbuch der Industriellen Technik'' (5th ed.). Wiesbaden: Oscar Brandstetter, 1989. pit frame, shafthead frame, headgear, headstock o ...

s, a winding house, other engine houses, a steam

winding engine A winding engine is a stationary engine used to control a cable, for example to power a mining hoist at a pit head. Electric hoist controllers have replaced proper winding engines in modern mining, but use electric motors that are also tradition ...

stable A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...

s, a building with

ventilation Ventilation may refer to: * Ventilation (physiology), the movement of air between the environment and the lungs via inhalation and exhalation ** Mechanical ventilation, in medicine, using artificial methods to assist breathing *** Ventilator, a m ...

equipment, a

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

and

joiner A joiner is an artisan and tradesperson who builds things by joining pieces of wood, particularly lighter and more ornamental work than that done by a carpenter, including furniture and the "fittings" of a house, ship, etc. Joiners may work in ...

s shop, and the office. Several buildings contain original equipment and mining exhibits, while others have been converted to museum exhibit areas or wedding, conference and event facilities. In addition to exhibits about the mine and the life of a miner, the museum features a permanent collection of art created by the

Ashington Group The Ashington Group was a small society of artists from Ashington, Northumberland, composed largely of mine workers. They met regularly between 1934 and 1983 to encourage their progress. Although most of the men had no formal artistic training, the ...

. There are also changing exhibits of history, art and science.

Woodhorn Museum architecture

The museum was first opened in 1989 but following major redevelopment with chief architect

Tony Kettle Tony Kettle is a British architect best known for designing the Falkirk Wheel in Scotland and leading the RMJM team at the Lakhta Centre, Gazprom Headquarters in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Kettle founded his own international architecture fir ...

, the museum reopened in October 2006. Now the buildings are protected with listed status and the location is recognised as a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

as it is the most well preserved example of a late 19th- to early 20th-century colliery in the North East of England. Kettle was inspired by monster coal cutting machines when redeveloping the new building, the Cutter, which sits alongside the original colliery buildings. The architecture and the museum contents, through displays, paintings, temporary exhibitions and archives tell Northumberland's story.

Woodhorn Railway

Narrow gauge railway at Woodhorn (geograph 4713373)

Woodhorn Narrow Gauge Railway Woodhorn Railway is a long railway on narrow-gauge track. The line runs from Woodhorn, Northumberland, England, to a restaurant in the car park of the QE2 lake. History of the railway In 1991, the Woodhorn Museum and Northumberland Archi ...

is a

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

railway at Woodhorn in the

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

Country Park. There are two preserved

locomotive A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the Power (physics), motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, Motor coach (rail), motor ...

s. One is a Hunslet Locomotive, which was built in 1975 for work at Vane Tempest colliery in

Seaham Seaham is a seaside town in County Durham, England. Located on the Durham Coast, Seaham is situated south of Sunderland and east of Durham. The town grew from the late 19th century onwards as a result of investments in its harbour and c ...

. The second is a German Schoma locomotive, called Edward Stanton, which was used in the factory where the concrete sections were made for the

Channel Tunnel The Channel Tunnel (french: Tunnel sous la Manche), also known as the Chunnel, is a railway tunnel that connects Folkestone (Kent, England, UK) with Coquelles ( Hauts-de-France, France) beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. ...

. There are also three carriages called Eddie, Harry and Ken. They and the Schoma are named after original members of the society. The park also features a lake and hiking and biking trails.

History

The original colliery in the village of

Woodhorn Woodhorn is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Newbiggin by the Sea, in Northumberland, England, about east of Ashington. In 1931 the parish had a population of 219. The village is sometimes identified with Wucestre, giv ...

opened in 1894 and closed in 1981. The Woodhorn Colliery Museum opened in 1989, using the original pit buildings. The pit yard was designated a

in 1999. From 2002-2006 new construction created a new museum building that includes the Northumberland County Archives.

References

External links

Woodhorn Museum - Museum in AshingtonWoodhorn Museum
{{Authority control Museums in Northumberland Railway museums in England Mining museums in England Art museums and galleries in Northumberland Coal mines in England Country parks in Northumberland Archives in Northumberland Museums established in 1989 Ashington