Coal Mining Oral History Project

County Durham has a unique heritage built upon its natural resources and it was coal that helped fuel Durham's own industrial revolution. The 19th and 20th centuries saw huge changes as old technologies made way for new and radical transport developments transformed the countryside and the lives of its people. This was a period of dramatic change that had a huge impact on the County.

Although the pits have now gone from County Durham the memories still remain. The knowledge and experience of Durham miners and their families provides us with a vast and virtually untapped resource of social and industrial history. The Coal Mining Oral History Project has tapped into this resource by recording the memories of people who lived and worked in the mining villages of County Durham.

The Oral History Co-ordinator conducted 35 interviews and worked with schools to develop a teaching resource pack based on extracts from some of the recordings. Local community groups have received free oral history training in special workshops held in venues throughout the County. A teaching resource using extracts taken from some of the recordings was launched in October 2005 and given to primary and secondary schools throughout the county. [

An event was held in County Hall, Durham in October 2005 to celebrate the successful conclusion of the project and to launch the teaching resource. The celebration provided an excellent opportunity for those who took part in the project to meet old friends and to make new ones.

The success of the project has again highlighted the need to record oral history testimonies before they disappear forever.

The Project has been developed and managed by Durham County Council's Durham Studies Projects Department and is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund