Durham Miners' Hall

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Redhills
Redhills Durham Miners Hall - June 2021.jpg
Durham Miners' Hall
Interactive map of Redhills
General information
Architectural style Edwardian Baroque
LocationRedhills Lane, Durham, England
Coordinates 54°46′38″N1°35′16″W / 54.7773°N 1.5877°W / 54.7773; -1.5877
Inaugurated1915 (1915)
ClientDurham Miners' Association
Design and construction
ArchitectH. T. Gradon

Redhills is the Grade II listed [1] headquarters building of the Durham Miners' Association (DMA) in Durham, England. Officially called Miners' New Hall, it is known as Redhills from its location on Redhills Lane in the City of Durham.

Contents

Redhills was designed by H. T. Gradon [2] in Edwardian Baroque style and opened in 1915 to replace the former Miners' Hall building in North Road. Its debating chamber, made with Austrian oak in the style of a Methodist chapel, was known as the "Pitman's Parliament" and was featured in Historic England's 100 Places: Power, Protest & progress list. [3] [4]

The main building housed the office of local Labour MP Mary Foy after her election in 2019. In May 2022, Labour leader Keir Starmer was accused of having broken COVID-19 pandemic legal restrictions at the venue the previous April, by drinking beer and eating takeaway food in a room there with other party members present. This became known as "Beergate". [5] [6]

Renovation in 2020s

In March 2020 the National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded a grant for restoration and renovation work, with the aim of restoring Redhills as a centre of culture and education. [7] In October 2021, as part of the grant agreement, Durham Miners Association transferred ownership of the site to the Redhills Charitable Incorporated Organisation. [8]

In 2022, Redhills stated publicly its intention to join a transnational serial nomination bid for UNESCO World Heritage status, coordinated by The Workers Museum in Copenhagen. [9]

As of 2023, restoration and renovation works were underway. [10] In January 2026, the hall fully reopened after the £14 million restoration. [4]

The Redhills Charity, which operates Redhills Durham Miners Hall, was initially run by Nick Malyan as Chief Executive of the charity. [11] As of January 2026, Andrew McIntyre was the interim Chief Executive. [4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "MINERS HALL, City of Durham - 1161184 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 2023-12-14.
  2. ↑ "MINERS HALL, City of Durham - 1161184 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk.
  3. ↑ "100 Places: Power, Protest & Progress | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 2023-12-14.
  4. 1 2 3 Brown, Mark (4 January 2026). "'Durham's other cathedral': mining union hall reopens after £14m restoration". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  5. ↑ Zeffman, Henry (3 May 2022). "Nadine Dorries accuses Keir Starmer of lockdown lies". The Times.
  6. ↑ Culbertson, Alix (6 May 2022). "Beergate: Sir Keir Starmer insists there was 'no party' after Durham Police say they will investigate claims he broke lockdown rules". Sky News.
  7. ↑ Coman, Julian (15 March 2020). "Durham's 'pitman's parliament', a monument of industrial heritage, saved from ruin". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  8. ↑ Dowson, Andy (21 October 2021). "Durham Miners Association hands Redhills over to the people". Redhills Charitable Incorporated Organisation. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  9. ↑ Brown, Mark (2022-08-03). "Durham miners' hall applies for Unesco world heritage status". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2023-12-14.
  10. ↑ Younger, Owen (29 Jul 2023). "Durham Miners' Hall to undergo £7.25m restoration after charity secures funding". Chronicle Live. Retrieved 14 Dec 2023.
  11. ↑ "Chief executive appointed to lead major restoration of Durham Miners' Hall". The Northern Echo. 2022-02-15. Retrieved 2023-12-14.
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