Pub history

The Blue Bell

Nearby Backworth Colliery was actually a group of separate collieries sharing the Backworth name. The first shaft was sunk in 1813 at Backworth A pit. As well as B, C, D and E pits, there were also pits called the Blue Bell and the Prosperous. Both The Blue Bell pub and the Blue Bell railway crossing were named after the pit. The Backworth pits are all long gone, with the long-standing pub now converted into apartments.