Seaham County Durham

Seaham is on the North East coast and has a population of around 22,000. Seaham or Seaham Harbour as it is better known was developed for convenience, the foundation stone was laid in 1828 and the harbour was built between 1828 and 1831 by the Marquess of Londonderry. The need for a harbour was for a cheaper and easier way to move the coal from Durham to London and the Continent. It was the brig Lord Seaham who three years later carried the first cargo of coal from Seaham Harbour. Before the harbour was developed the coal was moved by horse draw railways, the shipping activity combined with railway operations meant that the town grew along with the harbour. Major industrial expansion began in 1852 with the sinking of the first pit in Seaham.

Coal was a major part of life for the people of Seaham, there was at the time three pits Seaham Colliery, Vane Tempest Colliery and Dawdon Colliery. These colliery's have now sadly closed. In the early 1900’s the dock doubled in size with new quays large curving piers and a new light house. These stand today in virtually their original condition.

Seaham’s first house, which is now Sylvia's public house and is at the eastern end of the shopping area. Following the war a lot of clearance and redevelopment took place. Old houses were demolished, new roads built and a new civic complex of buildings constructed at St. John’s Square.

This one time home to Lord Byron has been beautifully restored. Seaham Hall is on the northern outskirts of Seaham and dates from early 1790's, it was commissioned by Ralph and Judith Milbanke, they were to have only one child a daughter Anne Isabella. The great English poet, Lord Byron, came to Seaham in 1814, where he met and married the Milbanke's daughter, Anne Isabella. In the drawing room of Seaham Hall on Monday 2nd January 1815. In the 1820’s the Millbanke’s sold their estate to Charles Stewart, the 3rd Marquess of Londonderry and his coal heiress wife, Frances Vane-Tempest.

During the first world war Seaham Hall was used as a war hospital and in 1927 it became a tuberculosis sanatorium. Today, Seaham still has a beautiful road verged with trees and countryside called “Lord Byron’s Walk” which runs past Seaham Hall where Lord Byron was married. Seaham Hall, will soon be turned into a top class hotel, restaurant and conference centre.

The Londonderry Offices, on Green Terrace stands proudly at the top of the cliffs adjacent to the Harbour. Built in 1857 as the headquarters for the Londonderry business empire, from here they managed their coal mines, docks and railways.

Old Police Station once the home of the Londonderry Offices. The Londonderry Offices were being used for the Seaham Police Station but this has now been closed, the building is being redeveloped. A new building at the bottom of the Avenue has been purpose built for the police station, at a cost of around one million pounds. The new station contains no cells, so any prisoners have to be transferred to Peterlee police station.

Seaham Maritime Disaster 1873 | Seaham Colliery Explosion 1871