Features - Coal to Berwickshire

A recurring theme in the descriptions of the parishes of Berwickshire in the New Statistical Account is the difficulty of obtaining coal and the cost of the same. Coal was carried from the collieries of Midlothian or from north Northumberland or, as it then was, North Durham. "Coal and lime are brought from North Durham; and the distance (15 miles) at which the collieries are situated constitutes one of the greatest disadvantages under which the parish labours." (Eccles, 1834) The coal from Midlothian was of better quality but transport costs were higher. At the same time, changes were taking place which would increase demand. By the 1820's there were a number of heavy beam-engines in use for threshing in Scotland and the English borders. In the account for the parish of Lauder the minister notes "On these farms as well, as well as on one lately let, belonging to the Marquis of Tweedale, superior office-houses have been erected and on the latter and Sir Anthony's (Maitland) have steam threshing-machines, being the only ones of the description in this district of the county." (Lauder, 1833) By the middle of the 19th century steam power was well established, and had been enthusiastically adopted by Berwickshire farms as witnessed by the large number of farm chimneys still standing. The author is aware of some 30 farm chimneys and/or boiler house still extant in the county and there have probably been more.

By this date coal could be transported by rail to the main border towns and the Northumberland pits were in decline. Despite the poor quality of the coal produced, mining continued around Scremerston and Unthank, to the south of Berwick, until 1965 when the failure of the drift mine at Allerdean saw the end of an industry dating back at least to Elizabethan times; records from Tweedmouth mention the mines there in 1510. The coal measures, which outcropped at the surface in an arc from Spittal south of Berwick through Scremerston, Unthank, Shoreswood, Felkington, Gatherick, Etal and Ford, were deposited in seams that had been laid down much earlier than the main seams of the Northumberland and Durham coalfield further south. Remains of the industry are still visible at Ford Common, Etal, Shoreswood and Scremerston.

The mines to the south of Berwick supplied coal to the town and the surrounding area. Greenwood's map of 1828 shows several Engines in the area and a waggonway from the mine at Unthank to Tweedmouth, some remains of which can still be seen near Unthank. Two Engines are shown at Scremerston. These correspond to the Rise Pit, to the west of the old A1 and just south of Hungry House, and the Restoration Pit approximately half way between the Rise Pit and Borewell farm. These are still shown, and named, on the second edition of the 6" O.S. map of 1899. This also shows latter developments, including Scremerston Old or Greenwich Colliery near Doupster Bridge and the New Scremerston Colliery between the Rise Pit and the Restoration Pit. This map also shows the route of the waggonway and subsequently the railway which served these pits. Possibly the first reference to these particular pits was in 1764 when a water level was driven from the Rise Pit to the coast near Huds Head. This level, said to be 18" square, was used to drain first the Rise Pit and then other pits which were sunk in the same area. It was carefully cleared of blockages each weekend up to the closure of the last mine at Scremerston.

From Greenwood's map of 1828. Note sites marked 'Engine' which indicate the Rise Pit and the Restoration Pit among others. The Scremerston Level mouth is also indicated.
The Restoration Pit, also known as the Old Hill Colliery, is shown on the first and second editions O.S. 6" map. Mentioned in 1828 and closed in the 1840's, the site is still easy to identify. Marked on the accompanying O.S. map as 'Old Coal Pit' and called the Restoration Pit it was adjacent to the Borewell Tileworks midway between Deputy Row and Borewell farm. When the colliery closed, its shaft was brought into use as a furnace shaft to improve the ventilation of Scremerston Old or Greenwich Colliery to the south.

The lands around Scremerston originally belonged to the Earl of Derwentwater and following the 1715 rebellion, passed to the Commissioners of Greenwich Hospital. In 1840 the Commissioners sank a new shaft on the site on the site of an old pit (not shown on Greenwood's map), just to the north of Doupster Bridge and some 2/3 mile south of the Restoration Pit. The associated tip is very obvious just to the east of the junction of the new Berwick by-pass with the old A1. The pit was sunk to "the great depth of 110 fathoms". Known first as the Greenwich Colliery it later became Scremerston Colliery and Scremerston Old Colliery. It was also called the Jack Tar Pit and Pevsner refers to it as the Sink Pit! In 1873 it was being worked by the Scremerston and Shoreswood Coal Co. (previously Messrs Johnson and Carr). At that date the Scremerston Main Coal was being worked to give two grades of coal and the seam was about 4' 6" high. When the colliery closed in 1878, 100 men were put out of work. In 1913 the pit was re-opened and drained but it does not appear that any coal was produced.

The present remains are located in the wood at the junction of the old A1 and the new Berwick by-pass. They are approached by a track from the site of the Restoration Pit which follows the route of the original waggonway in a deep cutting, now heavily wooded. The remains are quite substantial. A three storey water tower of 1840 carries an inscription on the second floor which shows that Thomas Forster was Viewer and Engineer, W. Elliott of Tweedmouth the builder and the lessees were Messrs Johnson and Carr. Immediately to the east of the tower are the remains of a substantial engine house with sandstone walls, now slateless. The Northumberland County Council description states that there is a projecting kiln on the south side. Adjacent to it, on its northern edge, is the concrete capped shaft. Pevsner notes the remains of a horse whim at the rear but the site is becoming overgrown with scrub and this is not immediately obvious. It would, however, fit in with the statement that the shaft was sunk on the site of an earlier pit although there is no evidence of this on the maps. The buildings are listed grade II.

The waggonway, which transported coal from the Greenwich Pit coal to a jetty on the shore at Spittal, on the south side of the River Tweed, was laid before 1840. This waggonway is shown on Robert Good's painting of 1829. According to a descendent of the family who worked the pits for many years, J.E. Carr, the tramway was laid down about 1815. This is well before the opening of the Greenwich Pit and it may well be that, at this date, the line terminated at the Restoration Pit.

The same source states that in 1844 coal was being exported to Amsterdam, Bordeaux, Rouen and other European Ports.

The route of the waggonway in the vicinity of the collieries is quite clear from the O.S. map. Leaving the Greenwich Pit the line goes straight to the site of the Restoration Pit, from where it turned north-east down an incline to a point on the cliffs south of Spittal crossing what would become the route of the North Eastern Railway. To reach the shore at Spittal, would have involved a further self acting-incline as the cliffs are over 100' above sea level at this point. There was a second stone built incline house at this point.

In 1877 the Scremerston Coal Co. sank a new pit a little to the east of what was known as the No.16 or Rise Pit. This pit acted as a rise pit for the new sinking which was known as the New Winning and then simply the Scremerston Colliery. The colliery closed and re-opened a number of times before closing finally in 1946.

It was one of the first, if not the first pit, in Northumberland to adopt the longwall system of working. The record output for the pit occurred in March 1910 when 389 tons was raised. The owners were inclined to close the pit in 1935, but sold to Hartley Main. The Scremerston Coal Co. went into liquidation in 1936. Other firms involved in later years were John Watson and Co of Wishaw and then Newsomes and Young Ltd. The site is now wooded and bisected by the link road from the old A1 (A1167) to the new by-pass.