Washington 'F' Pit Museum
Preserved colliery engine house with its original steam winding engine and headgear at Albany Park, currently closed for refurbishment.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The F Pit was one of the shafts of the New Washington Colliery. It was first sunk around 1777, was abandoned several times because of flooding and worked-out coal seams, and was brought back into use through modernisation until the colliery closed in 1968. The surviving engine house dates from 1903, and the steel headgear that once raised cages of coal and miners to the surface still stands beside it.
The engine house holds a horizontal steam winding engine built by the Grange Iron Company in 1888 and installed second-hand at F Pit. The Washington Development Corporation opened the site as a museum in 1976, and today it is a Grade II listed building and Scheduled Monument looked after by Sunderland City Council. A repair programme costing £310,000 in 2022 renewed the roof, windows, brickwork and joinery, and the engine can now be run for visitors, powered by electricity rather than steam.
The museum tells the story of coal mining in Washington through displays, films and interpretation panels. Sunderland City Council now lists the museum as closed for refurbishment and expects it to reopen in summer 2027, with a new heritage visitor centre, a play area and improved exhibitions.
Highlights
- Original 1888 horizontal steam winding engine in the engine house
- Steel headgear that once raised coal and miners from the shaft
- Films and displays on the life and work of Washington mining communities
- Usworth Colliery Roll of Honour
- Planned new heritage visitor centre and play area
Permanent exhibition
- Engine house and winding engine – The preserved engine house with its 1888 horizontal steam winding engine and headgear, with displays on the history of Washington mining. Closed for refurbishment until summer 2027.
- Founded
- 1976
- Operated by
- Sunderland City Council
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Admission was free when the museum was last open; prices after reopening have not been announced.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Amenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| School programs | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Schools can request a visit after the museum reopens by contacting the Sunderland Museum Learning Team. Before the closure, school sessions on mining artefacts and historic documents were led by the learning staff. |
