Washington F Pit - Albany - Washington - Sunderland
The Washington 'F' Pit museum is in the village, consisting of an engine house and winding gear built atop one of the earliest colliery shafts in the country. In 1775 a lease was given to William Russell enabling him to mine coal on the Washington estate. He sank eight pits (designated 'A' to 'I') in the ensuing years; 'F' pit is believed to date from 1777. Mining was halted in 1796 due to an explosion flooding the pit and stopping production. Operations recommenced in 1821. In 1856 the pit was extended down to a depth of 660 feet in order to access the Hutton Seam; in 1954 it was further deepened to reach the Busty Seam at a depth of 927 feet. For a time it was the most productive pit on the Washington coalfield, employing over 1500 men and garnering an annual total of 486,000 tons of usable coal in 1964–5. It was closed on 21 June 1962 as part of the National Coal Board's modernisation programme. The winding house and headgear were opened as a museum in 1976.
The 'F' Pit museum is one of the few remaining physical reminders in Washington of the countless colliery installations which once dominated the area.
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All images are printed on Lustre paper, featuring a very natural photographic finish reminiscent of traditional photographic printing. Lustre prints are very resistant to fingerprints, scratches and scuffs and feature a semi-matt finish with minimal glare, ideal for landscape photography.
Only 9"x6" prints and framed prints come with a white mount.
All orders will be securely wrapped and will arrive in either a postal tube, book wrap or a box for added protection.
All our frames are solid wood and come with glass, please take care when opening your order. Framed examples shown are to give a sense of how your order might look and are not an exact representation.