Seaham and Rainton Colliery Disaster Memorial

The Seaham and Rainton Colliery Disaster Memorial is a colliery disaster memorial built around 1881, designed by C Ryder and Son of Bishop Auckland. It features an eclectic style that combines Gothic Revival and classical details.

Constructed from sandstone, the memorial includes slate tablets and granite colonettes. It is located just outside Christ Church within a walled Garden of Rest, alongside the 1871 Seaham Colliery Disaster memorial. The monument stands approximately 5 metres high and consists of two stages. The lower stage has a square pedestal with a moulded and chamfered base, which displays four round-headed slate tablets listing the names of those who perished. These tablets are framed by colonnettes that have mid-shaft rings and Corinthian-style capitals. The pedestal is adorned with a patterned coved frieze and a chamfered cap.

The upper stage features a square plinth inscribed with Biblical texts and has chamfered corners that contain carved reliefs of fruits and flowers. Above this is a short cylindrical stage with an octagonal moulded base, clustered shafts, and a carved frieze, topped by a moulded and carved cross.

The inscriptions are all in black Roman letters. On the East face, it reads: "ERECTED BY THE WORKMEN OF SEAHAM AND RAINTON COLLIERIES AND OTHER FRIENDS IN MEMORY OF THE 164 ABOVE NAMED MEN AND BOYS WHO LOST THEIR LIVES IN AN EXPLOSION AT SEAHAM COLLIERY ON THE 8TH SEPTEMBER 1860." The North face states: "HE WILL SWALLOW UP DEATH IN VICTORY." The West face includes: "BLESSED ARE THE DEAD WHICH DIE IN THE LORD" and "WHAT MAN IS HE THAT LIVETH AND SHALL NOT SEE DEATH." The South face notes: "THIS GARDEN OF REST WAS PROVIDED BY PUBLIC SUBSCRIPTION IN MEMORY OF ALL SEAHAM MINERS WHO HAVE GIVEN THEIR LIVES IN THE COURSE OF THEIR DUTY DEDICATED 1965." Additionally, the base of the pedestal on the South face is inscribed with "C Ryder & Son BP, Auckland."