MP Mary Glindon (left) with the Elected Mayor of North Tyneside, Norma Redfearn CBE (right)
On the 200th anniversary of the Wallsend pit disaster, a new plaque has been unveiled to honour the 52 men and boys who lost their lives.
St Peter’s church, Wallsend, welcomed the Elected Mayor of North Tyneside, Norma Redfearn CBE and MP Mary Glindon to unveil the plaque, alongside Revd Michael Vine, Wallsend historian Ken Hutchinson and local councillors.
St Peter’s Church is especially significant, given the 46 victims of the pit disaster which are buried in their grounds.
The plaque reads: “In memory of the 52 men and boys aged 5 to 77 years who lost their lives in the Wallsend Colliery Disaster, 23rd October 1821. Erected by North Tyneside Council and St Peter’s Church 23rd October 2021, to commemorate the 200th anniversary.”
This plaque sits alongside another which was unveiled in 1994, commemorating a later pit disaster. This one reads: “18 June 1835. In memory of the 102 men and boys (8 - 76 years) who lost their lives in the Wallsend Colliery Disaster.”
The plaques are proudly displayed at St Peter's Church, Wallsend