Mickyboyc
Nose Point
ituated just south of Seaham and was once the location of Dawdon Colliery – the mainstay of Dawdon’s economy.
Opened in 1907 the colliery employed 3300 men and in its lifetime broke national and European production records. It was one of the last pits in the North East to close in 1991, ending almost 85 years of production. Colliery waste was dumped onto Blast Beach below the site resulting in environmental devastation.
The site has now been reclaimed into one of the most stunning gateway sites on the Durham Heritage Coast. Wildflower meadows have been restored, ponds have been created for wildlife, seating areas, artwork and interpretation have been specially designed to reflect the heritage of the area. Marine life has returned to the area in abundance.
The England Coast Path runs through Nose’s Point and the car park here provides a great opportunity to explore the area. Just further south on the Coastal Path is Hawthorn Dene and Meadows, the views on this stretch of coastline are stunning and on a clear day there are clear views all the way to North Yorkshire.
Such was the state of the area prior to its recent clean-up that the headland used to protrude further out to sea thanks to the dumping of industrial waste – and a platform, or crust, of compacted slag and slurry covered the beach, again extending far out into the waves (you can still see the edge, or lip, of this artificial surface where the rocky beach abuts the land). It looked so barren that it was used in the opening scenes of the film Alien 3 in 1992.
Nose Point
ituated just south of Seaham and was once the location of Dawdon Colliery – the mainstay of Dawdon’s economy.
Opened in 1907 the colliery employed 3300 men and in its lifetime broke national and European production records. It was one of the last pits in the North East to close in 1991, ending almost 85 years of production. Colliery waste was dumped onto Blast Beach below the site resulting in environmental devastation.
The site has now been reclaimed into one of the most stunning gateway sites on the Durham Heritage Coast. Wildflower meadows have been restored, ponds have been created for wildlife, seating areas, artwork and interpretation have been specially designed to reflect the heritage of the area. Marine life has returned to the area in abundance.
The England Coast Path runs through Nose’s Point and the car park here provides a great opportunity to explore the area. Just further south on the Coastal Path is Hawthorn Dene and Meadows, the views on this stretch of coastline are stunning and on a clear day there are clear views all the way to North Yorkshire.
Such was the state of the area prior to its recent clean-up that the headland used to protrude further out to sea thanks to the dumping of industrial waste – and a platform, or crust, of compacted slag and slurry covered the beach, again extending far out into the waves (you can still see the edge, or lip, of this artificial surface where the rocky beach abuts the land). It looked so barren that it was used in the opening scenes of the film Alien 3 in 1992.