Easington Colliery
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Easington Colliery is an old coal mining town in County Durham, in England. It is situated to the north of Horden, and a short distance to the east of Easington Village. Easington Colliery began when the pit was sunk in 1899, near the coast. Thousands of workers came to the area from all parts of Britain. And with the new community came new shops, pubs, clubs, and many rows of terraced "colliery houses" for the mine workers and their families.
At 4.20 a.m., on 29th May, 1951 "the disaster" occurred when an explosion in the mine resulted in the deaths of 83 men (including 2 rescue workers).
In 1971, members of the rock band "The Who" shot the cover photograph for the album "Who's Next" at a concrete piling protruding from a slag heap in the area. This cover was voted by the VH1 network as the second greatest album cover of all time.
In 1993 the mine was closed, with the loss of 1400 jobs. This caused a decline in the local economy; Easington Colliery is currently the 4th most economically "deprived" place in England and the obesity capital of England (Aug 2006).
Easington provided the setting for the 2000 film Billy Elliot.
Sources: http://ww2.durham.gov.uk/community/easington/colliery.htm http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/5299510.stm
