White-le-Head
| White-le-Head | |
|---|---|
White-le-Head Location within County Durham | |
| OS grid reference | NZ173543 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | STANLEY |
| Postcode district | DH9 |
| Police | Durham |
| Fire | County Durham and Darlington |
| Ambulance | North East |
White-le-Head is a village in County Durham, in England, situated in close proximity to the village of Tantobie. It is located on the opposite side of the Tanfield valley to Stanley. The village housed miners working at the Tanfield Moor Colliery (1768–1948).
History
Like many villages in the Durham Coalfield, White-le-head had an associated colliery: the Tanfield Moor Colliery (Willy Pit).[1][2] The Colliery was opened in 1768 by the Earl of Kerry; it was taken over in the 1850s by James Joicey and run by associated companies until 1947 when it was nationalised under the National Coal Board; it closed in 1948.[1][2] From 1894 it produced coke and gas as well as coal.[1]
Coal was transported via the Brandling Junction Railway using a gravity incline with 1:9 gradient from the colliery towards the Tanfield Lea colliery.[3] The Brandling Junction Railway was taken over by the Newcastle and Darlington Junction Railway in 1844[4] which, on 3 August 1846 changed its name to the York & Newcastle Railway[5] which, in turn, became part of the North Eastern Railway company in 1854.[4][6] There was also the Harelaw waggonway connecting to Annfield Plain which, in 1835, became a branch of the Stanhope and Tyne Railway.[6]
White-le-head is called Whiteley Head on the Ordnance Survey 6 inch map of 1888–1913[7] and in Whellan's Durham directory of 1856. It is called Whit-le-Head in the Kelly's Durham directory of 1894 and 1910.
References
- ^ a b c "Durham Mining Museum - Tanfield Moor Colliery". www.dmm.org.uk. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
- ^ a b "Tanfield Moor Colliery Willy Pit". NEHL. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
- ^ "Sunniside Local History Society". sunnisidelocalhistorysociety.co.uk. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
- ^ a b Turner Smith, George (2023). Tanfield Railway. The First Three Hundred Years. Malvern: Aspect Design. ISBN 978-1-912078-32-5.
- ^ "Newcastle & Darlington Junction Railway | Science Museum Group Collection". collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
- ^ a b Whittle, G. (1971). The railways of Consett and North-West Durham. Newton Abbot: David and Charles. ISBN 978-0-7153-5347-9.
- ^ "Georeferenced Maps viewer - Map images - National Library of Scotland". maps.nls.uk. Archived from the original on 4 December 2025. Retrieved 16 January 2026.