THE transformation of a heavily contaminated colliery and cokeworks site into a green oasis was celebrated yesterday.
Elba Park, formerly the site of the Lambton pit and cokeworks, was officially opened, with its colliery past remembered in a mining memorial artwork unveiled by ex-Sunderland and Newcastle United star Paul Bracewell.
The Homes and Communities Agency, the national housing and regeneration body for England, has invested over £25m in reclaiming the Sunderland site, where industrial activity came to an end with the closure of the cokeworks in the 1980s.
The 140-acre park includes a range of public art chosen by local people to commemorate Lambton’s history.
The new park has been named after Elba, the village which once stood by a curve of the Durham Junction Railway where it passed through the site, but disappeared as industrial activity expanded in the 19th Century.
At the centre of the new park, which is near the villages of Shiney Row, Burnmoor and Fencehouses, stands the memorial to miners at the colliery, where 127 pitmen are known to have lost their lives during its 364-year history. Artist Colin Wilbourn joined forces with local people in the Lambton Memorial Group to create the tribute artwork.
Nearby stands a series of wrought iron sculptures in the style of miners’ banners, created by children from four local schools with artist Craig Knowles, with additional funding from Sunderland City Council and the Coalfields Regeneration Trust.
In the 1990s both Colin and Craig worked on the series of artworks which line the regenerated St Peter’s riverside at the mouth of the Wear.
Meanwhile, a new bridge over the burn on the Lambton site includes a handrail made from miners’ pickaxes.
A further artwork inspired by the Wearside folk legend and song The Lambton Worm is set to be installed in the coming weeks.
Contractors moved over two million cubic metres of soil as part of the process to make the site safe, as well as planting 77,000 trees and creating 3,700 metres of new footpaths. The project has also paved the way for 359 family homes, now being built on an adjacent part of the site by David Wilson Homes. The housing will include a range of energy-saving and green features, such as rainwater harvesting and solar roof tiles, which will generate electricity which can be sold back to the national grid.
“We have worked side by side with local people for the past seven years to reclaim this site and make it safe for the community,” said Pat Ritchie, North East Director of the Homes and Communities Agency.
“Today is a chance to honour Lambton’s proud industrial heritage and to celebrate a new future for the site, providing green space and family homes for a new generation.”
Mike Roberts, managing director at David Wilson Homes North East, said: “We are looking forward to making Elba Park a thriving new community.”
The reclamation project has been supported by the Homes and Communities Agency, Sunderland City Council, the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, the Land Trust and the Lambton Memorial Group, as well as Groundwork North East, who will play a key role in maintaining the park and organising community activity.
Oct 2 2010 by Tony Henderson, The Journal
I am astonished that this park has opened with so little publicity. Most of the people who live in this area don’t even know that the park has been opened let alone with an opening ceremony. I would have liked to have had the opportunity to take part or even attend this event.
It has the appearance of an undercover operation. My late father worked at Lambton Colliery until 1963, we would have been very proud to attend this event on his behalf.
I walked around the park a couple of days after it opened and took these photos. I just had my old mobile phone. I too cannot believe this was opened with a wimper. However I know my father in law would have been pleased to see the old Coke Works gone.
If you click on the image to enlarge and try clicking that enlaged image to enlarge further..
click on the image it should enlarge
Another view of the memorial
I tried to get the whole picture, I cannot believe the pictures off my old Nokia
Walking from the main street of Fencehouses walk down Lambton lane. At what was Lambton Baths now a scrap yard turn into the park through the open gate. There is a very good wide new Tarmac path ideal for a Granny or Grandad to push a pram around.
Its well worth a visit let me know what you think.
I worked at Lambton Cokeworks for 20years, as previously said, there wasn’t much publicity for the opening of the park, i would have attended the opening ceremony. WHY was it such a secret. My reply to Denis Sharples, saying his father-in-law would be pleased to see the cokeworks gone, is for a lot of the 300+workers we were sad to see it close, and i know a lot of men who would like to have been still working there, the men were great to work with, and i for one would go back tomorrow.
I wonder if Elba will be pronounced like the Island where Bonaparte stayed or like the way it was always called by the locals as Elbay?
I agree with NORMAN , underhand is the word i use, probably the council thought we had all died out.
This photo’s were kindly sent to me by John Black.
Here is another one
Here is the last picture of the procession of the new banner through Fence Houses. It’s a pity George Rowe is looking the other way, he was the chap who campaigned for the new banner. He is in the scooter, sadly no longer with us. Well done George.
Oh if you were wondering the date was 8th of July 2006
Thanks again to john Black for supplying these images
Nice to here from George Humes, hope you are keeping well,my Uncle Bill is still going OK. i sometimes bump into a few of the lads up Hetton way. Harry Campbell, Chris English, George Hurst and it’s a while since i saw Tommy Robinson.
sad to imform that ex – cokeworker KEVIN WARDLE has died so young.
I think NORMAN that KEVIN was 40….RIP
George, Kevin Wardle is fighting cancer, and i know he hasn’t died. Don’t know who told you, but it isn’t right. HOPE YOU ARE KEEPING OK.
George, It’s not Kevin it’s his younger brother ian, who is fighting cancer.