Bowburn

Coordinates: 54°44′N 1°32′W / 54.74°N 01.53°W / 54.74; -01.53

Bowburn is a village in County Durham, England. It is situated about 3 miles (4.8 km) to the south-east of Durham, on the A177, between Coxhoe to the south-east, and High Shincliffe to the north-west.

It is part of the Cassop-cum-Quarrington parish.

History

Originally a small farming hamlet, named after the shape of the small burn that runs through it, Bowburn's history, like that of many other villages in the region, is linked closely to coal mining. Several coal mines were sunk in the area during the 19th century but extensive development did not begin until an entirely new Bowburn Colliery began to be sunk in 1906. Bowburn therefore celebrated its 100th anniversary on 23 July 2006.

The first “Bowburn Colliery” was a shaft sunk in 1840 but failed to find workable coal.

The second Bowburn Colliery was sunk a few years later, south of there (near Park Hill), being one of several sunk in the Quarrington and Coxhoe areas. It was close to the terminus of the Durham Branch of the Clarence Railway. The pit was a small concern, worked first by Robson and Jackson and then the West Hetton Coal Company. It probably closed in about 1870.