Wardley No 1 Colliery - This was also known as Follonsby Colliery or Follingsby, opened 1911. It was connected to Usworth Colliery by an underground railway.
Durham Mining Museum - Wardley No 1 Colliery history.
Maps of Wardley No 1 Colliery - Old Maps - Keys to the Past - Geograph NZ3160 - Microsoft Virtual Earth
Usworth Hall is a Listed Building No. 456/2/85
In the 1881 Census the Head of the household at Usworth Hall was Samuel B COXEN, a Coal Mining Engineer.
Also in his household were his widowed sister Ann B NOBLE and her children.
One of the streets at Usworth Colliery was called Coxon's Row. Other streets included Railway Terrace, Pensher View, Old Row, Single Row, Quarry Row and Waterloo Road.
More details of Samuel Bailey COXON and the NOBLE families are on the The NOBLE website (5th generation).
In the 1891 Census the Head of the household at Usworth Hall was Alfred S PALMER, a Mining Engineer.
The 1960-1969 map shows Usworth Hall as the National Coal Board Group Office.
The 1881 Census is on www.FamilySearch.org
The 1901 Census is on www.1901censusonline.com
Some Public Libraries have subscribed to www.ancestrylibrary.com
Maps of Usworth Hall - Keys to the Past - Microsoft Virtual Earth
Waterloo - The streets were named Waterloo Single Row, Double Row and Cross Row. Modern housing now covers the site. Waterloo was just north of Usworth Place which was later called Usworth Hall.
The land here is about 50 metres above sea level. The burns and springs around Usworth flow into the River Don which in turn flows into the River Tyne at Jarrow. The burn that runs by the railway at Usworth Station was known as the Gassy Gutter. The burns of Washington flow into the River Wear.
Great Usworth is also known as High Usworth, at an altitude of 90 metres above sea level.
Holy Trinity Church was opened in 1832 and has a memorial to those who died in the explosion at Usworth Colliery in 1885.
Microsoft Virtual Earth - aerial photograph of Holy Trinity Church in High Usworth.
Usworth Station - In 1850 the railway cut-off was built from Washington through Usworth to Pelaw Junction, so that London to Newcastle trains no longer had to go via Brockley Whins. This meant that both Usworth and Washington were on the Main Line. Usworth Colliery had its own branch from this main line.
The station platforms were on the south side of the level crossing. When a train was due, the signalman turned a big wheel in the signal box to swing the double gates across the road. There were smaller gates for pedestrians.
Maps of Usworth Station - Old Maps - Keys to the Past - Microsoft Virtual Earth
Southwick Junction - The Pontop and South Shields Railway is now "Nissan Way" here. The mineral railway to Southwick was opened in 1876. It has been built over by the Nissan Motor Works which was built on the site of RAF Usworth Aerodrome.
Maps of Southwick Junction - Old Maps - Keys to the Past
Washington Lane Cabin - This small cabin controlled the wooden gates which were swung across Washington Lane when a train was approaching. The A1290 road between the Nissan Motor Works and the A19 uses the railway route near the "Three Horse Shoes" pub.
Maps of Washington Lane Cabin - Old Maps - Keys to the Past - Microsoft Virtual Earth
Pelaw Junction - In 1872 a junction was added for the line to South Shields. More junctions have been added since for the Tyne and Wear Metro lines to South Shields and Sunderland.
Maps of Pelaw Junction - Old Maps - Keys to the Past - Geograph NZ2962 - Microsoft Virtual Earth
RAF Usworth - Geograph NZ3458 -
The runways can be seen on the 1960s map at Keys to the Past
The Avro Vulcan and Canberra aircraft at the North East Aircraft Museum can be seen on Microsoft Virtual Earth
The RAF had a Hugo Junkers prefabricated hangar, sometimes confused with the Barnes Wallis geodetic style of construction.
The airfield became Sunderland Airport in the 1960s. The site is now the Nissan Motor Works.
