I usually experience a degree of pathos when visiting old
industrial sites, for despite often being dirty, unsafe and noisy, they provided
employment and represented a British industrial heritage that is lost for ever.
Recent visits to the riverside walk at
Newburn on the old Stella Power Station site and the nature reserve created from
the former Weetslade Colliery spoil-heap, reminded me of just how much heavy industry
has vanished from Northern England, with inevitable socio-economic consequences.
Although the areas now provide wildlife habitats,
ghostly echoes of a different time when coal was king and life was hard, still
linger.
 |
| Stella Power Station 1991 by Aidan Doyle |
 |
| Weetslade Colliery |
 |
| The Stella Site 2015 |
 |
The former Weetslade Colliery site
|
No comments:
Post a Comment