Deaf Hill Colliery was sunk by the Trimdon Coal Company in 1870, and from 1900 until the present day, from information supplied by Mr. John Hampson (Rolleywayman), 75 years of age, whose name is perpetuated with a haulage curve known as "Hampsons Curve", there have been 11 Managers.

In 1919 the Colliery was idle for 6 months, following the break in of heavy feed-ers of water from the Harvey Seam workings approaching the Butterknowle fault at the southern extremity of the take. The Colliery was partially flooded until satisfactory dams were built in the Hurworth District of the Harvey Seams.

In 1921, the Trimdon Coal Company was taken over by the South Durham and Cargo Fleet concerns, and came under the management of Messrs. J. H. B .Foster, and Geo. Raw, both well known Durham Mining Engineers. Peak output was reached in 1939, when 363,356 tons were produced. From 1939 until 1945 output declined, due to the exhaustion of the good Low Main and Harvey seams. Since 1945 production has been maintained between 160 and 170 thousand tons per annum.

In 1955 the figure was raised to 186 thousand tons and in 1956, 223 thousand tons were produced. In September 1955, the Wingate and Deaf Hill reconstitution scheme was partly completed and put into operation.

It briefly consisted of scrapping the 10cwt. tubs in favour of one ton tubs, and transporting them from Deaf Hill to Wingate via the overland narrow gauge railway by means of 75 h.p. diesel locomotives where the coal was tipped at the new tipper station, which transported the coal from both Wingate and Deaf Hill to the Wingate washer. The colliery, at the present moment, is producing 5,500 tons per week from the Hutton (section 2' 3") and the Busty Tilley (section 3' 9") seams, both containing two dirt bands.

Power loading by the Flighting methods is working well in the Hutton seam and it is visualised that eventually the colliery will be loading all its coal at the present loading point, 300 yards from the shaft bottom. This will further improve the colliery's figures.

The Colliery Junior Ambulance Team won the Area competition in 1954, the Area and Divisional competition in 1955 and the Area, Divisional and National competitions in 1956, they were unsuccessful at Blackpool in the 1955 National Competition. Mr. Fred Hope, the Ambulance Attendant for the Colliery, was awarded the B.E.M. in 1955.

In 1952 the colliery was awarded the Output Banner by the Durham Branch of the National Union of Mineworkers.
In 1957 the colliery will be an all electric colliery, steam winders being replaced by electric powered winders — this will be the completion of the re-organisation.

This article was by a writer unknown
Submitted by Muriel Spresser