Burradon Pit Village 1948 - 1980s

1951 Sep 23 - A purpose-built colliery canteen and baths was opened on land opposite Office Row.

1951 Oct 01 - An explosion occurred at Weetslade Colliery killing five men. The bodies were not recovered for over a year.

1952 Jan 19 - Festival Cottages, on the site of Lane Row, were officially opened on this day.

1952 Dec 22 - Burradon Terraces were modernised by installing hot and cold water provision and new fireplaces.

1953 - Miners were given a fortnight's paid holiday.

1953 Jan 15 - The post office was transferred to its present location on Burradon Road, which was under the ownership of the Campbells.

1955 Jan 14 - The installation of electric lighting was completed in the colliery-owned houses. The work had been carried out by colliery electricians. Prior to this, the houses had been lit by gas lamps.

1958 Oct - The Victoria Picture House closed.

1960-62 - Housing on Burradon Road (Mean's Arch) was demolished.

1960 - Electric street lighting was installed along Burradon Bank towards Annitsford and also installed within the power station.

1961 - Electric street lighting was installed on the road from Burradon to Dudley.

1961 Apr 22 - A tea room was built onto the Welfare Hall and was officially opened on this day.

1962 Jan 17 - Tenants were given the keys to new bungalows on Weetslade Terrace.

1964 - Robert Parker became the manager of the Co-op.

1964 Apr 05 - A new "United" bus service was started from Morpeth to Whitley Bay via Burradon.

1966 May 29 - The long-standing headmaster of Burradon School, Robert Hindmarch, died aged 86 years.

1966 - The two houses at the end of Front Street, Camperdown, opposite the Halfway House, were demolished.

1966 - Weetslade Colliery was closed, one year after having a new shaft installed at the cost of one million pounds.

1968 Jul 08 - Tenants were given keys to the first of the houses of Shillaw Place and Means Drive which were built to replace the soon to be demolished colliery rows.

1968 Aug 22 - A ceremony was held to celebrate the building of the 3000th house by Longbenton Urban District Council. This was 85 Means Drive, the keys of which were handed to Mr A. Wardle the chairman of the Council.

1960s - The site of the former Hill Head Farm was taken over by the Local Authority during the time of the erection of Killingworth township. A large portion of the land was used to create a tree and shrub nursery and was instrumental in supplying the new Killingworth Township development. A depot was also built on this site - almost identically on the site of the old farmhouse - which had a building comprising: toilets, offices, men's room and an area for tractors, and other vehicles to be parked overnight. A fenced off area surrounding the depot was a storage place for raw materials - gravel, cement, playground equipment etc., and also the trees and shrubs. Work squads were based here for both playground maintenance and the shrub nursery. In 1980, the nursery was described as holding annually more than £40,000 of stock.

1969 Jun 27 - The postmistress, Dorothy Shanks, died. She had previously worked for Joseph Bolton when he was the postmaster and took over his business on his death. The post office was relocated to its present position after this date, ran by Frank Maughan.

1971 - Population 1590. In 1931 there were 2273 persons.

1973 Sep 06 - The Co-op reopened, after a refit, to become a self-service outlet.

1975 Nov 05 - Burradon Colliery closed.

1976 Jul 01 - North Tyneside Council approved a recommendation from the Recreation and Amenities Committee to purchase the Burradon Miner's Welfare (recreation) Ground from the Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation. The Ground had previously been administered and financed by the workforce of the colliery, but this had closed the previous year.

1977 Jul 14 - This piece on the closure of the Seaton Burn Wagonway appeared in the Evening Chronicle: "The line running through Burradon was closed down this week. This is a two mile stretch of track which runs from Hollwell junction to the Washery at Weetslade. It was most recently used to carry coals from Eccles colliery, Backworth to the Washery. The closure of Burradon and Havannah collieries meant the closure of the line inevitable..."

1979 - The pavilion in the recreation grounds, for keeping rackets and golf clubs etc, was pulled down.

1979 - Strawberry Terrace was renovated and relived in.

1980 - The power station, United Methodist chapel and pit baths were demolished.

1981 Feb 17 - The Evening Chronicle reported on a public meeting to be held to discuss the future of the recreation (Welfare) ground and hall.

1981 - Population 1680 (up 5.66% on 1971) in 577 dwellings; 2.91 persons per dwelling.

1981 Jun 10 - A ceremony was held on Kirklands estate where Wimpey were building 106 partnership homes, to hand over the first keys to Mr John Bailey and wife Gladys. [The partnership was between the council and private builders where first time buyers could purchase their houses at a special discount rate.] EC

1983 Nov 10 - The long-standing doctor to the community, John Dagg, died this day.

1984 Jan 20 - The Primitive Methodist chapel on Burradon Road was demolished and the construction of houses on the site was quickly begun.

1984 Feb - Norah Place, on Camperdown's Front Street, was renovated and reoccupied.

1984 Jul 07 - This piece entitled "Life on the Farm" was featured in the Evening Chronicle: "Farmer Will Younger is opening up the farm to the public next week. Visitors can see machinery, go round cowsheds and pick strawberries."

1984 - The housing of Cheviot Grange was erected by building firm Barratt.

1989 - An application was made to North Tyneside Council to dump building waste on the site of the colliery by W and M Thompson Ltd, who had purchased the site. Villagers, headed by Tony Isbister, thought that this may pose a danger and spread vermin and got up a petition to stop the proposal. North Tyneside Council turned down the application and instead balloted the villagers as to the future of the pit site. 61% of those who returned their ballot paper where in favour of a reclamation scheme involving the creation of a woodland and some land being returned to agricultural use.