North Bitchburn

North Bitchburn (historically known as North Beechburn) is a small settlement in County Durham, located about 1½ miles south of Crook and 3 miles north-west of Bishop Auckland. It is a short distance south-east of Howden-le-Wear. Beechburn Beck, a tributary of the River Wear, flows through Beechburn Wood and past Beechburn (farm), to the south-west of North Bitchburn. There was mining and associated industry in the area, which was part of the ancient parish of Witton-le-Wear. Notably, the sinking of North Bitchburn Colliery began on the 27th August 1845. The colliery was a major employer for the wider area; at its peak in 1902, the colliery had 3 pits (Five Quarter, Shafto, and Constantine), together employing 939 people (727 working below ground and 212 above ground).^[1] The colliery was in operation until 1966. The former colliery site was levelled and the land was returned to agricultural use.

Map extract from OS map (Surveyed: 1857, Published: 1861) CC-BY (NLS)