Rocking Strike memorial in Sunnybrow to undergo £45,000 facelift

The Rocking Strike Memorial, also known as The Tub, in Sunnybrow will undergo a major facelift while 1,100m of new footpath will be laid along the Weardale Way beside the River Wear.

The project is being led by Willington Community Action and Groundwork North East and has received funding from Greater Willington Town Council, Durham County Council, and the Premier Waste tip scheme fund.

The Tub, which consists of a miner’s cart atop a six-foot high stone plinth built on top of an old mine shaft, commemorates the Rocking Strike of 1863 which is believed to be the first time coalminers laid down their tools in protest.

At the time the miners in the Willington and Brancepeth Pits, which were both owned by Strakers and Love, were paid by the tub.

If their load was not full to the brim (slack) they would be docked money, so miners would rock the cart before it went to the surface to settle its contents.

The man employed to check the carts were properly filled was paid a commission for every tub found to be slack, and the miners wanted to be paid by weight rather than per tub according to new rules introduced in 1861 that were being ignored by the pit owners.

On October 20 the miners went on strike, but by December 28, with many having been evicted from their homes along with their families, they were forced to return to work.

Brian Myers, who gave money to the restoration along with fellow former Durham County Councillor for Willington Becky Brunskill, said: “It was a very important time in the history of coal mining and Willington and deserves to have a fitting monument.”

The Tub has been removed to be repaired, a new bench and paving area will be installed and flowers are to be planted around the base of the plinth.

The riverside footpath leading to Jubilee Meadows is also to be resurfaced.

The whole project is expected to be complete by July when a family fun day will be held to unveil the new memorial.