Washington ’F’ Pit Industrial Museum

Useful Information

Location:	Albany Way, Washington, Sunderland, NE37 1BJ. Washington. 8 km southeast of Newcastle (54.9107366, -1.5302445)
Open:	19-JUL to 03-AUG daily 12-15. 12-SEP to 21-SEP daily 12-15. [2026]
Fee:
Classification:	Coal Mine
Light:	Electric Light
Dimension:
Guided tours:
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Washington ’F’ Pit Industrial Museum, Albany Way, District 2, Washington, NE37 1BJ, Tel: +44-191-553-2323. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1777	pit opened.
1778	first coal produced.
1796	abandoned due to an explosion which caused it to be filled with water.
1820	reopened.
1856	deepened to reach 'the Hutton seam'.
1903	pit completely remodelled.
1926	winding engine built by the Grange Iron Company in 1888 relocated to F Pit.
1927	owned by Matthew Henry Kellett.
1947	owned by the National Coal Board (N.C.B.).
21-JUN-1968	pit closed.
1974	last coal mine at Washington closed.
1976	Washington 'F' Pit Museum opened by the Washington Development Corporation.
1984	museum managed by the Tyne & Wear Museums Service.

Geology

There were several coal seams below Washington which were mined. The four mined seams were about one metre thick and at depths between 146 m and 206 m.

Main Coal seam: 1 m thick, 146 m below surface.
Maudlin seam: between 1.40 m and 1.80 m thick, 165 m below surface.
Low Main seam: 1.06 m thick, 185 m below surface.
Hutton seam: 0.93 m thick, 206 m below surface.

Description

The main sight of the Washington ‘F’ Pit is a Victorian steam engine, engine house and headgear. These are the last remains of 250 years long coal mining history. The winding engine once took pitmen to the coal face and brought coal to the surface. The steam engine is not working with steam any more, but it is well-preserved and can be seen working, driven by an electric motor.

The name is a little weird, it is a result of the fact that New Washington Colliery opened numerous collieries during the second half of the 18th century. So they started to name them with a letter of the alphabet. And as this was the sixth colliery they opened it got the letter F.

The museum has quite restricted open hours. It is open for three weeks in Summer, on the Heritage Open Days which actually last 10 days, and on the Washington Carnival. As far as we understand group tours are also available only on these days.