New Lambton: Pit Head Baths

In May 1936 a vote was taken among the members of Lambton Miners' Lodge and they voted overwhelmingly for the erection of new Pit Head Baths at New Lambton, Fencehouses. A site for the new baths had not yet been finalised. It was reported in the local press thus, along with an announcement of the intention to build six aged miners' homes in the vicinity:

04 May 1936

Lambton Miners’ Decision

In Favour Of Pit-head Baths

82 Per Cent Vote For Scheme. Pit-head baths are to be erected at Lambton by the Central Miners’ Welfare Committee. A ballot conducted at the head-quarters of Lambton Miners’ Lodge this weekend showed that 82 per cent of the members were in favour of the scheme. Workmen affected number 1,300. The baths will be maintained by the local welfare committee and every workman will have an agreed amount deducted from his pay to meet the cost of upkeep. A site has not yet been decided upon, but the baths will probably be built near the present swimming baths.

There is also to be built at New Lambton, near Primrose Hill, six aged miners’ homes. The site has been given by the Earl of Durham and the cottages will be erected not by Durham Aged Mineworkers Homes Association, but by the Central Welfare Committee, who will not only bear the cost of the building but will endow them so that the tenants will be provided with free coal and light and will not have to contribute to rent or rates.

Things started to move quickly and by end of the same month, it was reported that an early start was to be made with the construction of both the baths and the aged miners' homes. The baths were to be designed by Mr F.G. Frizzell of London, architect to the Miners’ Welfare Committee and the contractors for the baths were to be Messrs Gordon Durham & Co. Ltd. of East Boldon.

May 29, 1936

Baths for Lambton Miners.

Ballot Majority for Scheme.

Early Start with Building.

Six More Homes for Aged Miners.

The Lambton Miners’ Welfare Committee, which has as its chairman Mr A. Thompson, the manager of the Lady Ann and “D” Pits and as its secretary Coun. G. Garland J.P., has had under consideration for some time the question of Pithead Baths for the workmen at their collieries. They have had a large swimming bath since 1924. It has proved a boon to the people in the district and is decidedly popular. It is used extensively by the scholars from the schools in the district.

Before the Central Welfare Committee will erect Pithead Baths, they must have an assurance that the collieries in that district will have a life of at least 30 years. It will be good news for the miners, tradesmen and others in the district that the Lambton, Hetton and Joicey Collieries Ltd. are able to give that assurance as far as the Lambton Pits are concerned.

Another condition that the Central Welfare Committee requires is that a ballot must be taken amongst the workmen and that it must show a majority in favour of at least 66 per cent. A ballot has been taken this weekend at the Lodge’s Headquarters, the Miners’ Hall, Fence Houses and the result shows a percentage of 82 per cent in favour. The total number of workmen employed is approximately 1,300. Only those workmen over 18 years of age were allowed to vote.

The baths will be erected by the Central Welfare Committee but their upkeep will be in the hands of the Local Welfare Committee. Every workman at the collieries, whether he uses the baths or not, will have an agreed amount deducted from his pay to meet the cost of upkeep.

Mr Garland is confident that an early beginning will be made with the erection of the baths. A site has not yet been decided upon, but it is in every way likely that they will be erected near the present swimming bath, which faces both the pits. The cost of erecting pithead baths comes from royalties and not from the tonnage levy.

Another piece of interesting information for the Lambton Miners is that six aged miners’ homes are to be erected at New Lambton, near Primrose Hill, the site for which has been generously given by the Earl of Durham. These cottages will not be built by the Durham Aged Miners’ Homes Association but by the Central Welfare Committee, who not only bear the cost of their erection but endow them too, so that the fortunate tenants will be provided with free coal and light and will not have to pay any rent or rates.

The local committee have been inspecting various aged miners’ homes in the county and plans are being got out which will ensure that they contain all the latest improvements.

The first baths in the Fence Houses district are to be opened on Saturday at Lumley Sixth Pit by Ald. J. Gilliland, President of Durham Miners’ Association, and Mr Austin Kirkup, Managing Director of Lambton, Hetton and Joicey Collieries Ltd. The manager of the colliery, Mr G. Renwick, will preside at the opening ceremony and the baths will be handed over to the trustees by Mr F.P. Frizzell on behalf of the Central Welfare Miners’ Committee. They will be ready for use on Monday and will be opened for inspection after the opening ceremony and on Sunday morning between 10 and 12. The baths, which will accommodate 800 workmen, have cost £13,400. Water from the pit will be used and will be cleansed and softened at a cost of 3d per 1,000 gallons, a saving of 1s 3d. The cost of drinking water is 1s 6d per 1,000 gallons.

It is interesting to note that plans were also being made to build pit head baths at Lumley Sixth Pit at this time. In January 1939, 220 of the 650 miners there rejected a levy of 10d a week which was to be deducted from the wage of every man, to use the baths. When it had been agreed to build the baths, a levy of 7d had been suggested but this had been rejected by the baths committee as insufficient to run the baths on, which were likely to cost in the region of £14,000 to build. When the miners of the Lumley Sixth Pit Miners’ Lodge met again later the same month, a levy of 9d a week was agreed. The baths opened at Lumley Sixth Pit on 18th February, 1939.

As far as Lambton pit head baths were concerned, plans were progressing and the position of Baths Superintendent was advertised for in November 1939:

29 November 1939

Employment. Offered

Applications are invited for the appointment of Superintendent at the Burnmoor “D” Colliery Pithead Baths, Fence Houses, at a wage of £3/10/- per week. Applicants must have had at least 12 months’ experience as a Superintendent or Attendant at a Pithead Bath or similar experience. Forms of applications may be obtained from the Secretary, Burnmoor “D” Colliery, Pithead Baths Management Committee, Fence Houses, Co. Durham. Replies by December 9, 1939.

The following month, an announcement was made that the first Baths Superintendent would be Mr Albert Laverick.

23 December 1939

Mr Albert Laverick, of Annfield Plain, has been appointed Superintendent pithead baths attendant for the new pithead baths at Burnmoor “D” Colliery, Fence Houses. Mr Laverick has been pithead baths attendant at Annfield Plain Busty Pit for three years.

Construction of the new baths was completed and the building opened on 9th March, 1940

09 March 1940

£24,000 pit head baths opened

Accommodation for 1,300 miners at Lambton

Provided by the Miners’ Welfare Fund, at a cost of about £24,000, pit head baths to accommodate nearly 1,300 miners were opened this afternoon at Lambton Colliery by Mr Austin Kirkup, Managing Director of Lambton, Hetton and Joicey Collieries Ltd., supported by Mr Charles Howson, chief agent to the company and Alderman James Gilliland, President of Durham Miners’ Association and one of the County hon. Secretaries of the Miners’ Welfare Fund. Designed by Mr F.G. Frizzell of London, architect to the Miners’ Welfare Committee, the building has 1,296 clean clothes lockers and 1,296 pit clothes lockers, with sufficient accommodation to enable all the men on the largest shift to take their baths without delay. Among the adjuncts are boot-cleaning room, boot-greasing room and bottle-filling room, while in the clean entrance lobby there are drinking fountains and access to a canteen. Adjacent to the clean locker room there is a first aid room in which scratches, sores and other minor injuries can be dealt with promptly. Messrs Gordon Durham & Co. Ltd. of East Boldon were the contractors. Trustees of the baths are Messrs A. Thompson (manager of the colliery), H. Jackson (under manager) and County Councillor M. Doyle and Mr B. Stephenson (workmen’s’ representatives). Those four and Messrs J. Watson (engineer), E. Hind (keeker), J. Wood (mechanics), and J. Craggs (miners) for the Management Committee. Mr W. Atkinson is secretary of the Management Committee and clerk to the trustees.

Another report on the opening of the baths:

16 March 1940

New £24,000 Baths for Miners

Erected at a cost of £24,000, the 310th installation in the country, Burnmoor D Colliery pithead baths were opened at New Lambton by Mr Austin Kirkup, managing director of the Lambton, Hetton and Joicey Collieries Ltd. The colliery company are providing free of cost the electricity and the lighting and the users of the baths are each paying 9d per week. Mr A. Thompson, the manager of the colliery, presided and presented Mr Kirkup with a silver salver suitably inscribed. He said he hoped they would later be able to have installed a ray treatment as miners were so subject to rheumatism. Mr Kirkup, referring to National Savings, said the company employed 13,000 workmen and already 800 had joined in the scheme at the collieries to purchase certificates. Mr C. Howson, the agent of the company, said they had reduced the number of accidents by 20 per cent in the last two years and appealed for a greater use of the safety equipment. Alderman J. Gilliland, of the Durham Miners’ Association, gave some interesting figures on the Welfare Fund begun in 1920 by a levy of a penny a ton. Up to October 31, 1939, over £14,000,000 had been paid into it to which £1,250,000 had been added for interest. Over £1,500,000 had come to the county of Durham. The penny had now been divided, half of it going for social services and the other half for pithead baths.

Shortly after the baths were opened a canteen was also provided. An early report gives an insight into its first days:

15 June 1942

Burnmoor Pit-head Canteen Profit

Mr A. Thompson presided at the second annual meeting of Burnmoor “D” Colliery Pit-head Baths and Canteen Committee, held in the Miners’ Hall, Fence Houses, yesterday. The secretary, Mr W. Atkinson jun, submitted the financial statement which showed that income from the baths in the past 12 months had been £2,454 2s 8d and expenditure £2,760 0d 10d,a loss of £305 18s 2d. Sales in the canteen had been £7,489 15s 1d on which the gross profit was £1,055 18s 3d and after expenses had been paid, left a net profit of £638 16s 6d. The combined accounts showed a credit balance of £332 18s 4d. They were going to extend the canteen, he said, and hoped before the winter to be able to supply soup, fish, etc. A proposal that profits be distributed by paying each user of the baths 10s and increasing the weekly payment from 8d to 10d was carried. Two retiring members of the committee, Messrs J. Wood and J. Craggs, were re-elected.

Above: Image taken at the opening of the pit head baths on 9th March 1940