Blackwell’s Growth
The Censuses of 1841 1851 and 1861 gave a view of Blackwell before coal’s extensive impact on the district, although the siting of Railway labourer huts at West Houses gave a hint of the future.
1871 saw some growth from coal with the shallow mines, but it was by 1881 that the Boom in Coal and Rail industries had arrived, attracting large numbers of families to the work and new houses built to accomodate them.
The colliery housing was supplemented with Council House building programmes from 1919 in our parish, and we have transcribed a document detailing when and where this programme was fulfilled.