The first miners’ union in Durham was formed in 1869, and the first gala took place two years later in Wharton Park, Durham, attended by almost 3,000 miners. By 1872, the tradition of parading with colliery bands and banners started through the streets of Durham to the old racecourse, with more than 60,000 people attending along with 70 bands. A church service at Durham Cathedral was added in 1897, and the gathering swelled to more than 300,000 in the 1960s.
The Big Meeting always featured a political gathering with guest speakers drawn from the Labour Party leadership and senior trade union figures. The 1984-85 Miners Strike, which ended with the closure of many pits, led to the cancellation of the 1984 gala and, by the end of the decade, almost every deep coalmine in Durham was closed.
But the Durham Miners Gala refused to die and today it is a celebration, a remembrance and a tribute to the history of coal mining. The banners taking part represent many mining communities and, during the year, many are on display in Durham Cathedral, where the festivities move to bless any new banners.
In 2025, three new banners were blessed – Bearpark, Thornley (after the old banner fell into a poor state) and Tursdale Mechanics banner, which celebrates the engine workers and mechanics who kept the pit running at Tursdale Colliery. The colliery opened in 1854 and, at its peak, employed more than 800 miners for industrial use, turning it into coke on the site.
Today, the Durham Miners Gala is a lasting memorial to an industry which thrived in the North East until it was destroyed by others with a different agenda. As usual, it was the people and communities that suffered and still have yet to fully recover today.
Author: John
Author of Around The World In 80 Years