Redhills in Durham has been selected as one of eight staff meeting rooms worldwide to jointly apply for the award. If successful, the building will have the same heritage status as the pyramids and the Taj Mahal, as well as Durham Cathedral and Durham Castle. Redhills opened 107 years ago, funded by subscriptions from 200,000 miners working in one of Europe’s largest collieries. It was deliberately rich and luxurious, designed to look like a country estate in which a mining family could live. At its heart is a spectacular debating chamber, nicknamed the ‘Pitman Parliament’. Homes for aged miners have been commissioned in Redhills and health care is provided for sick and injured miners. Most recently it was where, in April 2021, Labor leader Keir Starmer was photographed at the Beergate row – a rally that police ruled was not in breach of lockdown rules. Durham Miners’ Association handed over the running of the Grade II listed building to a new charity in 2021. The interior of the hall. Photo: Richard Saker/The Guardian Nick Malyan, the chief executive of the charity Redhills, is now leading an £8 million redevelopment of the hall to make it a center for culture, heritage and education, with plans for a youth parliament. Malyan said the consideration of the status was in recognition of the building’s “international” status. He added: “The Miners’ Hall embodies English working-class democracy, telling a powerful story of struggle and collective achievement. “While the nomination process and adjudication will take time, we welcome the opportunity to ensure that the Durham colliery story is heard on the world stage it deserves.” The heritage offering is conducted by the Workers’ Museum in Copenhagen. It has selected eight employee meeting rooms around the world to take part in the offer with similar rooms to those in Durham in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Finland and Argentina. Selected from 74 applications. Organizers said: “The candidacy will not only preserve the tangible value of brick and mortar, but also the intangible values of the socialist labor movement.” Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST The Redhills charity teamed up with Robin Coningham, professor of archeology at Durham University, to promote the British side of the offer. He said: “Redhills and what it stands for is hugely important. The miners of Durham were social reformers on a scale seldom seen in the world. “Their memory and achievements should be recognized as world heritage sites. It will be a privilege to work with the Redhills team to make this a reality.”
