OPEN days are being staged at the preserved site of one of the oldest former collieries in the Durham Coalfield.

Visitors can step back in time at Washington F Pit, which was sunk in 1777, one of several on the Washington Manor estate, each given an alphabetical title.

It went on to become the most productive local mine in the Victorian era, employing 1,500 men at its peak.

Following nationalisation in 1947 it continued to prosper, but, despite achieving record production in 1964/5, when 486,000 tonnes of usable coal were hued, it closed in June 1968 as it did not fit in with the National Coal Board’s vision for modernisation of the industry.

The head gear and winding house were presented to the people of the formative Washington New Town and opened as an occasional visitor attraction in 1976.

Although now operated by electric motor, the winding engine can be viewed in working mode, while other relics from the hey-day of the mining industry can be viewed in the engine house.

The site, on Albany Way, Albany, Washington, NE37 1BJ, will open to the public each Monday and Tuesday during the schools’ summer holiday, between 11am and 3pm, from July 24, including Bank Holiday Monday August 28.