Celebrating Miners Lodge Banners
Heritage Open Days 2009 – “A Celebration of Miners’ Lodge Banners”
Bowburn Community Centre, Durham Road, Bowburn, Durham, DH6 5AT
Saturday 12th September 2009
10.00am till 4.00pm
Over 40 banners from the Durham coalfield will again be gathered for this Heritage Open Days weekend event. It will include some rarely-seen examples from both before and after nationalisation, and from the 1984/85 Miners’ Strike, as well as more recent replicas and community banners.
The exhibition will include the banners from the following lodges and mining communities:
Blackhall, Boldon, Bowburn, Brandon, Browney, Byermoor, Chopwell, Coxhoe, Craghead, Crookhall, Deaf Hill, Easington, Eppleton, Esh Winning, Fenhall Drift, Greenside, Horden, East Hetton, Kibblesworth, Kimblesworth, Lumley 6th Pit, Murton , New Herrington, Randolph, Sacriston, Silksworth, South Hetton, Spennymoor, Springwell, Trimdon Grange, Tursdale Mechanics, Ushaw Moor, Waterhouses, West Stanley.
Also present will be the banners of the NUM Durham Area, NUM N.E. Area, Durham Aged Mineworkers Homes Association and Durham Area Miners Support Groups
Banner enthusiasts and former miners will be present throughout the day to explain the significance of these magnificent treasures and to discuss with visitors the history of the Durham Miners’ Gala and of Durham’s mining communities.
Information about each banner and its colliery will be displayed.
September 10th, 2009 at 11:10 pm
I’ve been to at least two of these celebrations in past years and they are well worth a visit, so get along if you can.
September 10th, 2009 at 11:13 pm
Perhaps I should add, if you’re driving from Newcastle it’s easy to find: take the A1(M) and leave at junction 61. The fourth exit off the roundabout leads directly into Bowburn and the Community Centre is on the right after about half a mile or less, at the bottom of the dip. There’s car parking round the back.