Tyne and Wear HER(5115): South Gosforth, St Aiden's Walk, Main Dike Stone - Details
5115
Newcastle
South Gosforth, St Aiden's Walk, Main Dike Stone
South Gosforth
NZ26NW
Commemorative
Commemorative Monument
Early Modern
C19
Structure
Large commemorative stone celebrating the successful sinking of South Gosforth Colliery. On the east face the inscription reads "Main Dike distance from pit 319 yds cut 3rd June 1828". On west face "Main Dyke". The stone now lies on a modern housing estate and commemorates a shaft sinking that was achieved with great difficulty. The sinking is described in Hair 1844. Marker stone. Sandstone ashlar. Circa 1828. Round-topped slab about 1.5 metres high. The Main or 90 fathom dike was a serious obstacle to coalmining in Northumberland. An underground ball was held to commemorate this event; each guest hewed a souvenir piece of coal. LISTED GRADE 2
2502
6830
NZ25026830
<< HER 5115 >> English Heritage, Monuments Protection Program, Site Assessment
Dept. of National Heritage, of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, 09-Nov
Hair, 1844, View of Colleries, p 21-22
R. Welford, 1879, History of the Parish of Gosforth, reprint 1975 p 48
I. Ayris & S.M. Linsley, 1994, A Guide to the Industrial Archaeology of Tyne and Wear, p 38; Paul Usherwood, Jeremy Beach and Catherine Morris, 2000, Public Sculpture of North-East England, p 86-87