I took a closer look at the amazing historic Silksworth Colliery pit wheel which is mounted on a plinth just off Silksworth Lane near the Aged Miners’ cottages and the Miners’ Hall in Blind Lane, Silksworth, Sunderland…
While I’m a colliery lad from Silksworth, my inquisitive side hadn’t yet taken me to see the Silksworth Colliery pit wheel near to where my nana actually lived until passing away.
It’s an impressive thing and well worth going to see ‘up close’ and is a poignant reminder of the 126 miners who lost their lives in the colliery while grafting in perilous conditions between 1868 to 1971.
Following the colliery closure, the wheel was relocated to Albany Village where it remained until a local resident and Councillor, Philip Tye identified the wheel’s serial number and hub engravings in 2018. The wheel was then refurbished and reinstated to it’s rightful home. Albany were kindly given a replacement by the nearby F-Pit.