Barcus Close : the slag heap from the Swallow Drift can be seen to the right. Photo courtesy of Jim Robinson.
Barcus Close Colliery was located to the right off Busty Bank just after the Derwent Bridge and the turn off for Friarside Farm (direction Rowlands Gill - Burnopfield). Apparently " Busty Bank was so named because a hilly bankside in the village burst and exposed a seam of coal. This hilly road became known as Bursty Bank and later as Busty Bank." (Source: The Durham Village Book, written by members of the Durham Federation of Women's Institutes) .
Prior to nationalisation, the colliery had been owned by the Barcus Close Coal Company as of the 1910s, producing quality coking, gas and steam coals. In the 1950's and early 60's production peaked as did employment there, some 263 men (230 below ground, 33 above) working at the colliery in 1960/1961.. (Additional information available on the Durham Mining Museum website)
The pit worked the rich Brockwell, Three Quarter, and Victoria seams, operating three shifts: day (07:00 - 14:15), back (14:00 - 21:15), and night shift (24:00 - 07:15), there being no extra payment for working through the night.
A local man who worked at Barcus Close for a few years just prior to its closure explains: "'Marras' (men covering shifts together) at a given cavel* (place of work) were able to swop shifts amongst each other if required. A fair, quarterly system operated at Barcus Close whereby cavels were changed (drawn) every thirteen weeks", - the quality of the cavil a man worked affecting output/productivity and thereore pay. NB *(The meaning of cavel - a drawing of lots among miners for a place at the coalface - would seem to have come to mean the place at the face the miner was allocated to work rather than the actual act of drawing lots).
Brothers Thomas & George Richardson doing stone work and errecting fore-poling at Barcus Close Colliery 1939 - 1945. Source: Beamish Museum 'People's Collection'.
Miner Jack Pattison cutting coal with a windy pick at Barcus Close Colliery. Source: Beamish Museum 'People's Collection'.
Below is a 'wagon repair' ticket for a wagon from the colliery. "The wagon examiner would affix the ticket to the wagon if it was able to travel the line to Springwell wagon repair shops. Details of the repair would be written on the back". (Source: bowesrailwayblogspot.fr)
Photo: bowesrailwayblogspot.fr
Photo: Bart Curry/Alan Wainwright.
The lights seen in the distance to the right of this photo may be those of Barcus Close Colliery where three shifts were worked.
Photo: Bart Curry/Alan Wainwright.
The location of Barcus Close Colliery can be seen in this photograph: see mounds centre right behind the 'Woppies' club.
Following closure in 1966, whilst many men opted for transfers to nearby pits including Marley Hill, Hamsterly, Byremoor,the Hobson then later on the costal pits such as Wearmouth, others, perhaps in search of greater job security, initially moved further afield to places such as Stoke in Staffordshire, some chosing to come out of the mines all together to take up a different line of work.