Topics > Industry and Work > Mining > Sea Coaling

Sea Coaling


A 'sea-coaler' is someone who makes their living by collecting and selling coal washed up on the beaches. Examples of beaches in the North East where sea coaling was practiced included Seaton Carew, Horden, Blackhall and Lynemouth. There is evidence of the trade going back to the 7th century. There are still a few sea coalers today (19 in Hartlepool in 2015)[1], long after the coal mines have shut.  

Sea Coaler at LynemouthSea coaling involves hard physical labour, raking and shovelling up the washed up shards of coal, which are heavy and water sodden - often twice a day at low tide. A sea coaler can harvest up to a tonne of coal every day. Some sea coalers used horse and carts, of the few remaining today some have vehicles they drive on the beach. Some of the coal washed up occurs naturally as the sea erodes coal beds. However, on some beaches it came from coastal collieries, such as Horden, which dumped mining waste (mostly rock, but including some coal) in the sea via rope and pulley systems. In these cases, the beaches have gradually cleaned up after the collieries shut.

Mining Seaton Carew Lynemouth Horden Beach Growth of Coal Mining - Historical Account
21 Resources
Add Resource
from Youtube (youtube)
Low water sea coaling Horden blackhall
Pinned by Simon Cotterill
from Youtube (youtube)
Sea Coal - UK
Pinned by Simon Cotterill
from Newcastle University (youtube)
Caught By The Camera No. 27 (1935)
Pinned by Simon Cotterill
from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/ne…
The twilight of 'sea-coaling': Pictures capture the dying industry where men scrape together coal washed up by the sea
- Daily Mail, 14 April 2013. "Images show the back-breaking work done by 'sea-coalers'. The men harvest coal washed up on the beach in Hartlepool. But the trade is under threat …
Added by
Simon Cotterill
from Youtube (youtube)
Seacoal Men Collecting From Middleton Beach, Hartlepool
Pinned by Simon Cotterill
from Youtube (youtube)
Sea Coal - UK, July 2006
Pinned by Simon Cotterill
from Flickr (flickr)
Sea coaling, Lynemouth
Pinned by Simon Cotterill
from Flickr (flickr)
Raking up the Sea Coal
Pinned by Simon Cotterill
from Flickr (flickr)
Hartlepool Art Gallery - People's Choice - 12 Aug - 17 Sept, 2006
Pinned by Simon Cotterill
from Flickr (flickr)
Raking up the Sea Coal
Pinned by Simon Cotterill
from Flickr (flickr)
Beach tyre track
Pinned by Simon Cotterill
from http://www.thenorthernecho.co…
Beach fight: Sea coalers allowed on Hartlepool's beaches
- Article by Chris Webbe, Northern Echo, 6th April 2015. "SEA coalers have been allowed back on to Hartlepool beaches. Before Hartlepool Borough Council banned motorised vehicles from the town's beaches …
Added by
Simon Cotterill
from Geograph (geograph)
Sea-coal on North Gare Sands
Pinned by Simon Cotterill
from http://www.disphotic.com/revi…
REVIEW – SEACOAL BY CHRIS KILLIP
- March 2, 2015 by Disphotic (blog) "In 1976 the photographer Chris Killip, who had relocated from London to the north of England, first came across the beach near Lynemouth, on …
Added by
Simon Cotterill
from Geograph (geograph)
Erosion at Beacon Point
Pinned by Peter Smith
from Geograph (geograph)
Sea coal, Cresswell beach
Pinned by Peter Smith
from Geograph (geograph)
Stack of sea coal recently scraped off the beach
Pinned by Peter Smith
from Geograph (geograph)
Sea coal
Pinned by Peter Smith
from Geograph (geograph)
Gathering sea coal, Hartlepool Beach
Pinned by Peter Smith
from Geograph (geograph)
North Gare Sands
Pinned by Peter Smith
from Flickr (flickr)
Lynemouth, Northumberland. Beach after local tipping.
Pinned by Simon Cotterill

Comments

Add a comment or share a memory.

Login to add a comment. Sign-up if you don't already have an account.

Related Pages


Geo / Heritage Meta Data

ABOUT US

Co-Curate is a project which brings together online collections, museums, universities, schools and community groups to make and re-make stories and images from North East England and Cumbria. Co-Curate is a trans-disciplinary project that will open up 'official' museum and 'un-officia'l co-created community-based collections and archives through innovative collaborative approaches using social media and open archives/data.

LATEST SHARED RESOURCES