Washington Colliery, F Pit

‘F’ Pit (Coal), probably part of Washington Colliery, comprises a horizontal twin cylinder steam colliery winding engine built by the Grange Iron Company in 1888 set within its original brick built engine house. The attendant steel lattice headstock survives within the site although the rest of the colliery has been cleared. The site which is now a small museum run by Tyne and Wear Museums Service, represents the last vestige of mining in the Washington area. The original 'F' pit shaft was sunk to a depth of 283 metres in 1777 and is thought to have been one of the earliest working pits in the country. 'F' Pit was one of a dozen or so small shafts in the Washington area. Most of these pits were later abandoned and output concentrated at a few more highly modernised collieries such as 'F' Pit. The present building dates from 1903 when the colliery was extensively modernised. The colliery closed on 21st June 1968.SCHEDULED ANCIENT MONUMENT AND LISTED GRADE 2