Historic Washington pit wheel finally being installed in Albany after delay - previous version was returned to Silksworth

The wheel has come from Washington’s F Pit Museum and is in the early stages of restoration. It will be installed in the centre of Albany. Work began on February 27, although it had been expected to be in place by autumn 2022.

Another pit wheel which stood in the centre of Albany was removed after a campaign to return it to Silksworth, where it had been used between 1868 and 1971.

Preparations are underway for the ‘new’ Albany wheel to be placed on a plinth as a distinctive community focal point. The wheel is being restored as part of the F Pit regeneration project.

It will stand near the museum, which includes an engine house and winding gear built above one of the earliest colliery shafts in the country.

The F Pit Museum is one of the few remaining physical reminders in Washington of the colliery era. It has undergone a £310,000 repair package including roof, window, brick, render and internal joinery repairs.

Regeneration proposals for the museum and next-door Albany Park include a new heritage centre and cafe and “improvements to rejuvenate the park”.

Cllr Linda Williams is vibrant city cabinet member at Sunderland City Council and also represents Washington Central. She says the wheel will “act as a proud reminder of Washington’s heritage as a coal mining town.”

She added: “It’s important that we recognise the role those before us played in establishing the area as an industrial powerhouse; something it remains today with new industries leading the way.

“Restoring the wheel once used in Washington F Pit means that we now have a reminder of the past on display that is authentically Washington’s – a wheel that is now at the heart of the community, helping our residents and visitors to celebrate our rich heritage.

“It’s wonderful to see this project moving forward, which complements recent completed capital repairs at F Pit Museum that we have led.

"I’m looking forward to seeing the landscaping that will follow the initial wheel installation, ensuring this becomes a prominent reminder of our amazing past.”