Western Winding House and Shaft Head Gear (Winder and Shaft No 1) is a Grade II* listed building in the Northumberland local planning authority area, England. First listed on 22 May 1986. Winding house. 1 related planning application.

Western Winding House and Shaft Head Gear (Winder and Shaft No 1)

WRENN ID
wild-corridor-winter
Grade
II*
Local Planning Authority
Northumberland
Constituency
Blyth and Ashington MP: Ian Lavery (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
22 May 1986
Type
Winding house
Address
Western Winding House and Shaft Head Gear (Winder and Shaft No 1), Ashington
OS grid reference
NZ 288 884
Coordinates
55.18928, -1.54788
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: related consents · flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The Western Winding House and Shaft Head Gear, also known as Winder and Shaft No. 1, was built around 1894, with an early 20th-century extension. It is constructed from yellow Ashington brick and features gauged arches over the doors and windows, topped with a Welsh slate roof. The structure is a rectangular, three-storey winding house with a single-storey extension to the west and a shaft located to the south. The side walls have three bays, while the rear has two bays, all defined by pilasters that rise to a stepped-and-cogged eaves cornice. The large round-arched windows contain metal-framed casements, and one rear window has been replaced by a later doorway leading to an external platform. The lower floors feature round-arched doorways and windows, including an arched doorway that connects the upper floor to a walkway leading to the cage. The roof is hipped, with a gabled wooden dormer for the winding ropes and a raised louvre on the ridge.

The extension has a blocked arch on the south side and a four-bay west wall that mirrors the winding house's detailing and fenestration, although some later openings have been added below the sill level; it also has a hipped roof. The shaft head gear consists of a skeletal frame, which has been partially boxed in with corrugated sheets.

The sinking of the shafts began in 1894, and the first coal was produced on February 13, 1901. A steam engine was replaced by an electric winder in 1975, and there are two compressors located in the basement.

Local climate

Western Winding House and Shaft Head Gear (Winder and Shaft No 1) receives an average of 850 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 59% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 58% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 14 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 86% of listed buildings. Of these, 9 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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  • No EPC on record for this property
  • No sale records on file
  • Related listed building consents — 1 application
  • Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
  • Flood risk assessment
  • Radon risk assessment
  • Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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Nearby listed buildings

  1. Miners Memorial Grade II 33 m
  2. Engine House Between Shafts 1 and 2 Grade II* 38 m
  3. Fan House to West of Shaft No 2 Grade II* 39 m
  4. Eastern Winding House and Shaft Head Building (Winder and Shaft No 1) Grade II* 50 m
  5. Cage Shop to West of Pit-Head Grade II 64 m
  6. Blacksmiths and Joiners Shops to West of Pit Head Grade II 84 m
  7. Stable Range to North-West of Pit Head Grade II 87 m
  8. Former Colliery Offices Now Administration Block Grade II 130 m
  9. Moor House Farmhouse Grade II 1.1 km
  10. Farmbuildings to West of Moor House Farmhouse Grade II 1.1 km