Trustees were given a hard hat tour of Redhills on Tuesday 16th. This was a marvellous opportunity to see what has been happening at the Durham Miners’ Hall as building work nears completion.
The Programme Director, Ross Forbes, explained what construction and repair had been done. He emphasised that all the original features will be found in the refurbished building, in all their original glory. The photo of the Pitman’s Parliament below, with the light flooding in, indicates how splendid it will be once the decoration is finished and the refurbished seats replaced.
The refurbished building will be heated by a ground source heat pump. A visitors’ centre will enable the stories of the Durham Coalfield communities to be told. Records previously stored at Redhills have been passed to The Story and, once catalogued, will be an important resource for local and family history.
Public reopening is currently scheduled for early December.
The Durham Miners Association (DMA) has transferred ownership of the Miners Hall at Redhills to the community by setting up the ‘Redhills Charitable Incorporated Organisation’. This will secure the Hall’s future as a centre of heritage, culture, and education, using the £4.5million awarded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund to refurbish and upgrade the building. See the Redhills news item for further details.
A Christmas brass band concert will give people the chance to visit Redhills one last time before it closes for restoration and renewal. The DMA Brass Band will perform in The Pitman’s Parliament at Redhills on December 4 at 7.00pm (doors open at 6.30pm) Tickets £5. The Redhills team will also discuss the plans for the future of the historic Miners Hall. More details are available at: https://redhillsdurham.org/event/redhills-christmas-concert/?instance_id=51
