Redhills looks ahead after ‘phenomenal' revamp

A historic County Durham landmark is looking to shape its next chapter after welcoming more than 15,000 visitors following a £14 million restoration.

Redhills Durham Miners Hall has reopened as a centre for culture, education, events and community activity after undergoing an extensive transformation.

The project was supported by £9 million from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, alongside more than £5 million raised through trade unions and the wider community.

Since June 2025, more than 15,000 people have visited the Grade II* listed former headquarters of the Durham Miners Association, with more than 300 events taking place.

Its programme has included tours, film screenings, the Brass Bands England National Conference, Durham Brass Festival and a performance by folk musician Eliza Carthy, with many ticketed events selling out months in advance.

Redhills has also introduced weekly Redhills Sundays, reviving the coalfield tradition of Sundays as a time for family, learning, culture and community activity.

Running for the past eight weeks, the initiative has welcomed hundreds of visitors to explore the building, take part in creative activities and learn about its history through talks and films.

Attention will now turn to the building’s longer-term future through the Redhills Assembly on October 2 and 3.

The event will bring together community organisations from across the Durham Coalfield and beyond to explore how Redhills can support communities in the years ahead.

Building on consultation carried out during the restoration project, discussions will consider lessons from historic institutions and collective action alongside work already taking place within communities today.

Andrew McIntyre, chief executive of Redhills, said: “Restoring Redhills was never simply about saving a remarkable building.

“The people who built this place believed that by organising together they could improve their lives, build institutions of their own and give their communities greater power over their future.

“Before the restoration began, people across the Coalfield told us they didn’t want Redhills to become a museum to a vanished industry. 

“They wanted that inheritance put back to work.

“That is what this Assembly is about. 

“We want to learn from what previous generations built, from the extraordinary work already happening in our communities today, and from people doing this work elsewhere. 

“And together, we want to ask what we can build now – how communities can rebuild their Common Wealth, and what part Redhills can play in making that possible.”

Redhills, formally the Durham Miners Association New Hall and Offices, opened in 1915 and is regarded as an important example of trade union architecture.

Designed in the Edwardian Baroque style, the building replaced the former Miners’ Hall on North Road.

At its heart is the Pitman’s Parliament, a council chamber where representatives of Durham’s mining communities gathered to debate issues affecting the industry, with a seat provided for each of the county’s 297 pits.

Following its restoration, Redhills is seeking to preserve that heritage while establishing a renewed role as a place for communities to meet, learn and organise.

The forthcoming Assembly forms part of that work, guided by Redhills’ vision: “the past we inherit, the future we build”.

Helen Featherstone, director, England, North at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, added: “It’s fantastic to see the transformation that has taken place at Redhills and that its doors are now open to the public. 

“This impressive building can now continue to act as a space for the communities of Durham and beyond to celebrate and connect to the important mining heritage that is at the heart of the area. 

“We are very proud to have supported its redevelopment, thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, and it’s wonderful to hear the praise from visitors that have stepped foot into the Miners Hall already. 

“We are excited to see how Redhills develops for the future following its phenomenal transformation.”

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