The Drift Stone

The Drift Stone, a substantial five-tonne limestone boulder, is a significant geological and historical feature of East Chevington, Northumberland, although it is a little hidden away from the main routes, it stands on the spot where the entrance to the original Drift Mine was located.

Originally spared during opencast mining operations between 1982 and 1994, the Drift Stone stands as a reminder of the area's coal mining heritage. Positioned at the site of the old drift mine, which operated from 1882 to 1962, the boulder serves as a memorial to the once thriving community around this industrial activity.

The inscription on the plaque set into the stone reads;

“The site of the former East Chevington Drift Mine. This 5 tonne limestone boulder was preserved from East Chevington Opencast Coal Site which worked 1982 - 1994 and now stands on the site of the East Chevington Drift Mine which operated 1882 - 1962.”

East Chevington itself was once the site of both a village and a drift mine. A drift mine is accessed via a gently sloping entrance rather than a vertical shaft. The drift village was made up of four terraces of houses; Hedgehope, Linhope, Hartside and Simonside, along with ten aged miner's cottages, a farm and a village shop. The village was demolished in the 1970s to make way for the new open cast mine.

Eagle eyed followers will notice that the terraces are named after some of the best known hills and features of the Northumberland landscape, but their names now live on as the bird watching hides around the nature reserve nearby.

While the closure of the drift mine in 1962 marked the beginning of the community's decline, the subsequent transformation of the site into a nature reserve by the Northumberland Wildlife Trust represents a remarkable regeneration. This restoration took place between 1994 and 2003 and the surrounding area now boasts a variety of habitats including reedbeds, woodlands and wildflower meadows.

The Drift Stone remains a relic of the past within this evolving ecological landscape and can be found alongside one of the footpaths that form a new circular route around the lakes and woodland.