Centenary Banner, 2006

After the return of two original Bowburn Miners’ Lodge banners in 2005, the Bowburn Banner Group applied for funding to repair and conserve both of these and to create a new community banner, to celebrate the pit village’s centenary in 2006. The Heritage Lottery Fund was enormously helpful, in many ways, but not least in giving us the money to do this!

The new banner was designed by the banner group, based on ideas from children at Bowburn Junior School and at a number of community workshops. It was unfurled on the eve of Durham Miners’ Gala, 2006.

On one side is "The March of Time”. This is based on an actual 1950 Big Meeting scene in Old Elvet but shows all three of Bowburn Miners’ Lodge’s known banners, together with numerous local people in the crowds.

On the other side, the main picture is of the headgear over the Harvey shaft at Bowburn Colliery. (This has four wheels, as it had two sets of cages, drawing coal from two seams.) Two roundels show scenes from the village and from underground. It bears the logo “Together we’ll hew the future from our past”.

The new banner was first displayed at Bowburn Infant School.

It was unfurled at Bowburn Community Centre…

… and marched into Durham Miners’ Gala the next day…

… where it was blessed in the Cathedral.

In 2014 and again in 2017, the Centenary Banner was taken back to Chippenham Designs for some minor repairs – needed because the Banner Group’s policy has always been to use this banner, whenever appropriate, in community and heritage events – as well as on “Big Meeting Day”: at the annual Durham Miners’ Gala and in the parade around the village beforehand.

While the banner was being repaired, a further 25 new mini-portraits were added to the “March of Time” crowd scene in 2014 and another 20 in 2017/18. So there are now 101 mini-portraits in this epic scene.

All the “new faces”, painted on in 2006, 2014 and 2017/18, can be seen, with names, by clicking on the link below.