Ferryhill tourist information

Ferryhill lies on the western edge of the Ferrryhill Gap, a natural gap in the limestone escarpment that outcrops on the East Durham Plateau.

The ancient settlement stood on the Old Great North Road (A1, now the A167) between Darlington and Durham.  In the Middle Ages Ferryhill was a market garden for the Prince Bishops of Durham.

The agricultural village began to change with the coming of the railways in 1840 and the opening of the first blast furnace in 1850.

Rapid development of the town followed in the late-19th century and early-20th century with the expansion of the coal industry.

The two main pits were the Dean and Chapter Colliery and the Mainsforth Colliery.  Ferryhill's coal industry reached its peak during World War II when over 5,000 miners worked the mines.

Both the main pits closed in the 1960s and an industrial estate and sports complex have been built over the sites of the two main collieries.

The great mine heaps have been landscaped and today it is difficult to find any evidence of the town's mining past.