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Bowburn Banner Group has five banners.

This website briefly describes those banners and outlines their history.

Ironmasters Bell Bros. Ltd. began to sink Bowburn Colliery, just over four miles south east of Durham, in 1906. Its first coals were drawn in 1908.

The Miners’ Lodge is first known to have had a banner in 1920, when a silk Tutill banner was unfurled at the Hare & Greyhound, Bowburn. This was replaced in 1939 (or possibly in 1946) and then again in 1959, each time by Tutill banners, each time with an entirely different design on both sides.

There is an unverified story that the first (1920) banner, which uniquely portrays Nurse Edith Cavell, was actually the second banner, replacing an earlier "home made" one, also portraying Edith Cavell.

The colliery ceased production in 1967 and, after salvage work, closed completely in 1968. The last lodge banner was transferred to the Colliery Officials and Staff Association (C.O.S.A.) and remained in their hands till 2005. Still the property of the N.U.M., it was then returned to the local community, on long term loan to the Bowburn Banner Group.

Shortly afterwards, fragments of the 1920 banner were also donated to the Banner Group. They had for many years been kept, rolled up, in a loft in Durham.

Thanks to significant help from the Heritage Lottery Fund, both orginal banners were repaired and conserved and are now on permanent display in Bowburn Community Centre, Durham Road, Bowburn, Durham, DH6 5AT.

A new community banner, the “Centenary Banner” was at the same time commissioned for regular use at the Durham Miners’ Gala and community events. To this was added, also in 2006, a Children’s Banner, and later the 1985 banner of Tursdale N.U.M. Mechanics.

All five of these banners are shown on the other pages of this website. Please click on the links above left.

Bowburn Banner Group is a registered charity (Reg. No. 1112238)