ABSTRACT
The year 1945 was a watershed for Sacriston. The newly elected Labour government legislated a major transformation of British society. Notably, key industries were nationalised, that is, taken into state ownership. The most consequential of these nationalisations, for Sacriston, was that of coal. In the 1950s–70s Sacriston was a thriving place. Economic and community vitality were inextricably linked; most people were far from wealthy, but fulltime work for men was plentiful, wages were rising, work—particularly part-time work—was increasingly available for women, and young families were moving from substandard colliery housing into new, modern council and owner-occupied homes. Sacriston was spared the problems of Category D villages and in some respects was protected by its Category A status. The effects of the closure were seen locally as undermining the cohesion and vitality of the community with knock-on effects on other activities. For instance, Sacriston Colliery Cricket Club had run “taster sessions” at the school from which it had recruited junior members.
