Ashington did not appear on local maps till about 200 years ago. Before then it was called Aschendenu or Essington in the Parish of Bothal where the wealthy Duke of Portland built a castle. Ashington village then went by the name of Fell ‘em Doon. (Fig 1 Bothal Castle)

In the late 1840s coal was discovered in the Ashington area and it created an influx of miners from miles around.

Five pits were sunk in quick succession making Ashington ‘The Biggest Mining Village in the World’. And so the town was born.

Woodhorn Colliery is the only one semblance of a mine left standing; it became a museum in 1989 and was renovated in 2002 making it one of the region’s star attractions. (Fig 2 Woodhorn Colliery)

Lads as young as thirteen were encouraged to leave school to obtain a job at the pit, initially as trainees. It was found that local boys were undernourished so he Ashington Coal Company provided each trainee with a gill of milk before he went down the mine.  (Fig 3 Young Trainees at Woodhorn - 1940)

Jackie Milburn and his second cousins Jack and Bobby Charlton stated that the only way young lads could escape a life of hardship underground at Ashington was to become a first-class footballer.  (Fig 4 Jackie Milburn Statue at Woodhorn – pictured with local footballing legends).

Milburn went on to have THREE statues erected in honour; he won 13 England caps while the Charlton Brothers became unique when they formed part of the England Squad that won the World Cup in 1966, for which they were honoured by a civic reception at the town hall, arriving in style in a Rolls Royce. (Fig 5 1966 Ashington pays tribute to the Charltons).

With the influx of thousands of men to work in Ashington’s pits, it became essential to house them and build schools for their children. The first colliery rows were simply numbered 1 to 11 and traders could be seen every day plying their wares. There were five cinemas: the Regal, Pavilion, Buffalo and Wallaw with the Hippodrome serving Hirst and North Seaton residents. (Fig 6 Buffalo Picture House and Station Road in 1930’s.)

The schools in the Hirst part of town attended either the North or South School as a junior, followed by the East School or the Park School for children up to 14 years of age. (Fig 7 Hirst Park Girl Guides – including internationally acclaimed opera singer, Sheila Armstrong).

Hirst was the area of town to the East of the railway bridge which originally was called Hirst Station. Shops eventually appeared along the length of Station Road on both sides making Ashington the largest shopping area between Newcastle and Edinburgh. When Sir John Hall was planning his Metro Centre he said: “I planned the Gateshead Metro to be the same as Ashington Main Street where you could meet up with a neighbour, go shopping and then to a cinema – Ashington had the lot!”  (Fig 9 Station Road 1970’s)

It had a great transport link too. Trains began to run in 1870 while the United Bus Co, came in 1922 initially parking up on Station Road which was pedestrianised in 1993.  (Fig 8 Station Road 1930’s.)

Ashington could lay claim to having dozens of dancehalls, such as the Arcade Dancehall, compered by Eric Nichol, in the Co-op building. Ashington Colliery Band now plays at Woodhorn Museum. (Fig 10)
For recreation at Hirst a magnificent Flower Park was laid in 1920s (Fig 11 Hirst Park in 1970 & Fig 12 as it was in the 1920’s)

At the turn of the 20th century, Ashington Council (AUDC) was aware that the townspeople they represented were suffering severe deprivation, especially in the Hirst area of town.  Colliery houses were packed together in long rows and it was recognised that an area needed to be set aside where miners and their families could enjoy some space to contemplate a better life and at the same time enjoy the spate of colour afforded by a flower park. 

Hirst Flower Park opened in 1914 and contained not only hundreds of different plants, but also sporting facilities for lovers of bowls and tennis and as a bonus, a new children’s playground was added with swings and a banana slide. 

Almost a century later and in spite of a prevailing “credit crunch” affecting the whole nation, Ashington Town Council is committed to continuing the good work of its predecessors.