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Seaham

Seaham is situated six miles south of Sunderland and 13 miles east of Durham City in North East England.

Seaham can be dated as far back as 670 with the foundation of St. Mary the Virgin Church being laid. St. Mary the Virgin Church is regarded as one of the 20 oldest surviving churches in the UK. There is archaeological evidence showing that there was Prehistoric occupation of the area, and probably a Roman settlement.

Until the early years of the 19th Century, Seaham was a small farming community, this changed in 1828 when 3rd Marquess of Londonderry built a harbour to facilitate transport of goods from the industries locally encouraged. However, this harbour later proved inadequate to deal with the millions of tonnes of coal being mined from the nearby mines, and the 6th Marquess commissioned engineers Patrick Meik and Charles Meik to reclaim land and extend and deepen the dock. It was officially opened in 1905.

In 1928 production started at Vane Tempest, the last colliery to be opened and after years of mining, all three pits closed in 1992. Today, Seaham has some of the best beaches in the country and has east transport links to the eastern side of the country. From 2001 most of the Durham coastline was designated as a "heritage coast" and Seaham beach was restored.