Opened in 1843, closed December 1920. Owners were John Bowes and Partners Ltd, later John Bowes & Co (Bowes, Hiltt, Wood and Charles M Palmer), lastly Marley Hill Coal Company.

Opened in July 1905. Sinking was complete and coal was produced in 1907. The Eccles is the deepest of the Backworth pits. James Batty was in charge in 1907. in 1927 mechanical mining started at the Maude, Eccles and Algernon Pits, displacing pit ponies. Eleven injured, with four dying later after a gas explosion in 1928. The pit head baths for the Maude and Eccles pits opened February 15th 1930. Three men died (T. Chater, T. Livingstone and T. Anderson) after an explosion in April 1922. Shown on Ordnance Survey third edition.
The first sinking for coal at Backworth took place in 1813 and in 1818 several buildings were opened within the site boundary as part of Backworth Colliery, a wagonway was also constructed which ran between the colliery and the staithes at Whitehill Point on the Tyne (4).

Linked the Victoria Garesfield Colliery (HER 6903) to the Derwent Valley Railway (HER 1019). Shown on Ordnance Survey second edition map. Survives as a path near the former colliery. Earthworks survive in Rowland's Gill woods at western end.

Part of Victoria Garesfield Colliery (HER 6903). Opened 1870 and closed on 13 July 1962. Owned by Victoria Garesfield Coal Co, then Priestman and Peele, Priestman Collieries Ltd in 1899 and the NCB from 1947.

Shown on Ordnance Survey second edition. Opened in 1870 and closed in 1962. Owned by Victoria Garesfield Coal Co, then Priestman and Peele, Priestman Collieries Ltd in 1899 and the NCB from 1947. Several drifts were part of this colliery - Ashtree Drift (HER 6904), Coronation Drift, Hookergate Drift, Ricklees Travelling Drift and Speculation Drift.

Curious walled lane shown on the first edition Ordnance Survey as a routeway from Stobbart Street down to Wearmouth Drops. The lane is cobbled. The substantial walls are mostly stone but some sections are brick. Same coping as seen as Wreath Quay Road coal staith (HER 4760 - listed grade 2). The lane preserves the line of the western boundary of the township of Monkwearmouth Shore (shown on Burleigh and Thompson's plan of the River Wear 1737. The boundary is probably medieval in origin, associated with the boundary of the monastic estate. The 1737 map shows at the southern end of the boundary a feature described as 'Caddy Garret's Gill', marked with a 'w'. This suggests that the township boundary followed the course of a stream, later culverted or re-routed. On John Rennie's map of Sunderland of 1826 the line of the cobbled lane is annotated 'Western Boundary of Sir H. Williamson's Estate also Boundary of Monkwearmouth Shore Township and Monkwearmouth Parish'. The lane is approximately 3.5m wide and runs from the western end of Millennium Way down to the riverside. It is cobbled with stone setts with a broad central channel, 1.80m wide, running down the middle. It is walled along its entirety, the nature of the build changing in form along both sides. The walling also varies in height. It is likely that the oldest elements are those built in limestone and sandstone rubble, followed by handmade brick and then modern brick. The lane was bisected by the waggonway (HER 2745) that led down to Pemberton Drops (HER 2746), probably carried at height over the lane.

Built 1913 as a fire station and mine rescue. Provided by the Durham & Northumberland Colliery Owners Association. Now there are only six such stations in Britain. Red brick with slate roofs. Two 2-storey blocks linked by a single storey block. Rusticated brick quoins. South front has two central round arched doorways with rusticated jambs. Either side are 2 narrow glazing bar windows. Abour four casement windows. Now that the mines have largely closed, the station provides rescue services for all types of emergencies plus health and safety training, first aid, confined spaces awareness and fire awareness training. Serves the whole northern region. There is a mock training mine (crawlways) below the station used for practising rescues etc. .

Within the landscaped estate of Whickham Hermitage was a two storey brick lookout tower, tennis court and boating pond. The pond was 20 x 20 yards square, 5 feet deep and brick-lined with a coating of pitch. There was a Chinese-style bridge, pagoda, boathouse and roofed gate.
STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE
The Hermitage Garden was originally the landscaped grounds to the Hermitage (also on the Local List) – a quirky historic house in the centre of Whickham, built in 1790 by Matthew Taylor, a local brewer. The grounds were ample, providing space for an imaginative scheme, and there must have been plentiful resources available to invest in it, as there were various fashionable features. This investment was also shown in the house, where incremental alterations were made over the years. The following description is taken from the Hermitage Garden website:
‘Part of the landscaping of the estate included the erection of a two-storey brick lookout tower, a tennis court, and a boating lake. There was a willow-pattern bridge near the entrance to the boathouse. A pagoda and a roofed gate were also features of the garden. Jonathan Rowe (an amateur local historian) visited the garden in December 2001 and made the following notes. "Nothing remains of the original entrance to the garden. The Hermitage has retained the garden nearest to the rear of the building, but the rest has been left to nature. Out of the original design of the gardens all that remains is the empty lake and the foundation for the willow- pattern bridge. There are still series of foundations and revetments dotted around the area but at this stage it is hard to pinpoint what they once were. The whole area is covered in self-seeded trees including Elder, Sycamore and Birch, not to mention a carpet of brambles."’
The website also describes the recent restoration scheme, which has seen the garden reclaimed from neglect, and brought back into use to be enjoyed as a community resource by the local residents of Whickham. It reads as follows:
‘We have been restoring the garden itself whilst retaining its main original features: a lake with boathouse and a 'willow- pattern' bridge, a watchtower and a pagoda.
The lake has become a wildlife pond. The watchtower has become a toilet for the disabled, a tool store and an office area. The boathouse will double as a greenhouse and storage area. The summerhouse (pagoda) has become a pictorial picture gallery and a showcase for photographs of progress of restoration work in the garden.
A children's vegetable garden has been created for the benefit of local children to learn about cultivation and land preservation.’
The restoration has therefore been based on historical evidence, but with an eye towards the practicalities of modern use. Therefore, although not necessarily meticulous, the compromises should create a resource which is useable and sustainable into the future.
The importance of the garden lies both in its contribution to the green space of Whickham, and the historical significance of its association with The Hermitage.
DATES c1790 (originally laid out)

The house dates from the last quarter of the 18th century. It is two storeys high, retains its original doorway with circular columns and stone porch and stuccoed projecting cornice with low parapet with typical 18th century stone balls with moulded bases. The mock Gothic tower and turret is a19th century addition. It was built around 1790 by Matthew Taylor, the founder of Swalwell Brewery. The name Taylor of Swalwell appears in parish registers from 1576. The family were engaged in prosperous trade in the 18th century - they owned wherries, conveyed coals and other goods from Swalwell staithes to the ships on the Tyne. It remained in the family until the death of Henry E. Taylor in around 1910. The house was then occupied by a Dr James Osterley McCreery. In 1924 the occupant was William Campton of Norwood Cokeworks. By 1925 the building was the centre for the Durham County Council activities in the Whickham district. In January 1951 it became a home for retired men. DESCRIPTION / STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE
The Hermitage was built for Matthew Taylor, of a well-known brewing family who had their business at Swalwell. It is a grand stuccoed 2 storey residence with classical proportions and detailing, although it has been altered. The façade is asymmetrical (with new windows added to the left side): 4 bays to the left side and 3 to the right. Unfortunately the windows have been replaced, and whilst being sashes are spoilt by drip vents to the top floor. The original entrance porch is simple but elegant with Tuscan columns, and now sits aside a large square bay added in the later 19th century. A cill band to the 1st floor and heavy stucco cornice and parapet create a strong horizontal impression. Some quirky, slightly exuberant mock Gothic features, including a squat castellated tower to the ground floor and a small 1st floor turret, were also added in the Victorian period. The tall chimneys are attractive and unusual, with stone bases and brick uppers topped with buff clay chimney pots. In the past it has been used as a library, but its future use is currently uncertain. It is therefore significant in terms of its age and association to an important local family, as well as its architectural interest.
MATERIALS White stucco, brick
DATES 1790. Proposed to be converted into 4 flats and 2 houses (2012).

Coin of AD 351-54 of Constantius II found at No. 184 Mile End Road about 100 years ago. Obv: DNCONSTAN TIVS PF AVG Bust r, pearl diadem, draped Rev: RE-PARATIO Emperor stabbing falling horseman. Dated C4.