Author Description

Easington Colliery is a village in the North East of England. Originally built for the coal miners and their families, the village is now home to those from all walks of life. The landscape once dominated by the huge structures of the mine shafts is now a thing of beauty with a panorama looking out over the North Sea. The mining community that was once tight knit, has been left in tatters with the closure of the pit. In desperate need of investment, the area has suffered from everything from antisocial behaviour to vast unemployment. Stood in the centre of the village you will find a historic building, Easington Colliery County School. Built in the 1900s for the children of the booming coal industry workers, the two main buildings stand on a vast area on Seaside Lane. Once a grand Victorian structure, the buildings have been left empty since its closure in 1998. The buildings now stand empty and dilapidated, a huge problem for locals due to vandals and the influx of pigeons. Grade II listed then subsequently de-listed; it has been purchased by private buyers as an investment then consecutively sold back to the local council. It seems the time has come for this once magnificent building to be demolished. Without the funds to regenerate or the need for the building to be turned into any other purpose, the council has decided with the consultation of residents, to bulldoze the structure and create a 'green space' in the centre of the community by forming a pocket park.This book is one of remembrance. Documenting the memories of the school from former pupils to help comprehend the impact the levelling of the buildings will have on the area. Having stood for over 100 years, the narratives are significant. Recollections of a building at the heart of a community; this work comprises of memories, portraits, and archive material to help remember the building as it once was.