History of Ashington
Before the first coal mines opened in the 19th century there was only a single farm at Ashington. But because of the development of the coal mining industry Ashington was created into an entirely new mining town. By the later 19th century Ashington had grown into a large colliery village.
The development of the miners houses happened so quickly and the scale was unique in Britain at the time; nearly a quarter of all colliery workmen in Britain were employed on the Great North Coalfield by 1913. From such a thriving industry, there are now no deep mines in Ashington but its past is remembered at Woodhorn Colliery Museum.