Ushaw Moor Village Sign And Miners Lamp Mural

As I drove through Ushaw Moor it seemed like a busy village and two of my targets are near a junction with no time to look and stare. So I quickly parked nearby and walked over to have a gander.

At the junction, you cannot miss The Miners Lamp on the wall of the Flass Inn. This is the wonderful work of Lewis Hobson AKA Durham Spray Paints. Now known for many works such as The Murals at Hartlepool Headland, and the Canary at Wheatley Hill. The artists are Durham Spray Paints and Graeme Hopper with both pieces complementing each other nicely.

The staggered crossroads probably predates any buildings as the area was mainly moorland. Ushaw coalmine opened around 1870 and continued until 1935. Notice how Lewis has used the pebble-dashed wall to create the coal effect in the cart.

Ushaw Moor Action Group, Brandon and Byshottle Parish Council commissioned the artwork for the community that chose the subject. They approached the Flass Inn and the landlord got permission from the brewery.

Flass is a Scandinavian word meaning marsh, but the area isn't noticeably boggy now. The Flass Inn was built in the 19th century and in 1871 a dramatic siege took place when a group of miners were seeking retribution against Robert Dixon Marshall, a friend of the landlord William Dawson. Mr Marshall was a rower so one assumes of a fine stature. Not put off by there being 3 miners, he challenged them to a physical settlement of the grievance outside where Robert was beaten badly as miners didn't lack physical prowess.

One miner however was mean enough to have a knife and cut Robert's hand so he went back inside. Mr Dawson barricaded the door and had a loaded gun. Shots were fired and this excited the miners who were throwing rocks, bricks, and ice through windows until one got shot. They then retreated and were later brought to justice and fined for damage and assault.

The mural was one of Durham Spray Paints' first commissions, completed in 2021. Lewis said:

“It's my arm holding a miner's lamp borrowed from my grandad. I was not known and many had not seen murals like this before.”

It meets with great approval and community pride.

Aficionados can date a lamp by various aspects like the number of pillars around the glass, and the maker's stamps and numbers. They were made from brass so they would not spark if knocked against metal or rock and cause a fire-damp explosion. The thin metal gauze would shield the naked flame and the lamplight would extinguish if noxious gases were present.

Over the road, there is the Ushaw Moor village sign. It reflects the village's mining traditions and depictions of a railway, a pit wheel and a pickaxe nearby.

This is the work of Graeme Hopper known for Millennium Bug, and Fungate at the Botanic Gardens Durham, Maurice Cullens Boxing Gloves and his fungi pops up here and there.

Mr Hopper explained that in 2002 he created a sculpture called Silver Trees which was originally here, and the local school was named after it. A van may have crashed into the original work, which is why Graeme created another village sign.

Another 'Silver trees' was created at the Silver Trees School.

Fortunately, the damaged sign was insured, so the council commissioned Graeme to create another in 2016. Local schools were involved in the design of the new sign. They requested that some form of silver trees be represented.

This sign is shaped like an archway and along with other things already mentioned there are poppies to reflect those from the village who lost their lives during war.