IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Bottle Works Road, SEAHAM, SR7 7NN

Seaham harbour had an extensive and complicated railway system up until the second half of the 20th century. The railway operated on two levels, the upper level bringing in goods (primarily coal) for loading onto ships via staiths, while the lower level allowed access to the dockside. The image shows the remains of a gantry supporting railway sleepers at the southern end of the harbour for the upper level rail complex.

Presumably waiting for seamen coming ashore.

This view captures two of the classic features of the mining area of north east England. A former North Eastern Railway (BR Class Q6) hauls a load of coal hoppers from Seaham Colliery up to the main line, from which the view is taken. In the foreground is an area of allotment 'gardens', characterised more by the abundance of pigeon lofts than the growing of vegetables, although the occasional greenhouse is visible. Remarkably, the railway line has survived the death of the mining industry, and serves a waste recycling centre. The allotments too survive, with the likelihood that some of the lofts are the ones visible in this view.

The Imke, a small container ship of 3990 gross tonnage, next to piles of what appear to be coal and scrap metal.

It looks like sand being unloaded which seems strange considering all the sand that's available on the coast. In some areas such as South Shields taking sand form the beaches is illegal. BUT is it the right type of sand that is available locally. There were similar problems with cola many years ago. Local cola wasn't suitable for the power station at Blyth so it was shipped in!