Seaham Townscape Heritage Project

What we are doing

In September 2019, we secured £1.6 million from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to support the restoration of historic properties on Church Street. Due to the impact of COVID-19 and other unforeseen challenges, the project has been extended until December 2025.

The project offers grants to property owners and occupiers on Church Street for the restoration and reinstatement of traditional heritage features. In addition, key areas within the town centre have been upgraded and decluttered to improve their appearance and accessibility.

We have also introduced a range of activities and training opportunities as part of the project's wider engagement initiatives.

The Seaham Townscape Heritage Project aims to restore historic buildings and improve public spaces within Seaham Conservation area.

North Terrace and Terrace Green

Enhancements to the public spaces surrounding popular North Terrace and Terrace Green area have seamlessly complemented previous building upgrades, including Grade II listed buildings and structures.

In response to severely damaged paving, we replaced and widened the footway, revitalising the area and helping to foster a vibrant café culture. The result is a more attractive and accessible space for both residents and visitors.

In addition, car parking has been reallocated to the edges of Terrace Green, maintaining convenience while preserving the area's visual appeal.

South Terrace

The exposed railway tracks are among the few remaining traces of the historic Rainton and Seaham Line, which began operating in 1831 and played a key role in Seaham's development as both a harbour and a town.

To highlight the town's rich railway heritage, the tracks have been preserved as a central feature, accompanied by an interpretive panel that shares the area's historical significance. New paving, seating, and landscaping have further transformed the space into a welcoming focal point for the town.

The Brothers sculpture—symbolising the three Seaham collieries of Seaham, Dawdon, and Vane Tempest—has also been relocated to a prominent new position at the end of North Terrace.

Church Street

The public realm enhancements have played a key role in preserving and enriching the Conservation Area, which had previously been designated as 'at risk'. By creating more attractive and accessible gateways into Church Street, we've helped improve pedestrian movement throughout the town centre.

The removal of the central brick planter from Church Street has opened up sightlines between the sea and the Grade II listed St John's Church, while also encouraging greater foot traffic along the high street.

Additional seating has been installed to invite people to pause, socialise, and enjoy the surroundings—helping to restore the traditional vibrancy and sense of community in the town centre.

Building Improvement Grants

Commercial property owners and occupiers are being offered grants to restore and reinstate traditional architectural features, as well as to improve access to currently unused or inaccessible upper floor spaces. This initiative is designed to prevent the further loss of historic character and detail, while also addressing the impact of past inappropriate alterations and neglect.

Heritage events and activities 

Discover Seaham App

'Discover Seaham' has been developed as part of the Seaham Townscape Heritage Project, which is supported by funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The app allows locals and visitors alike to explore the town's history and heritage in an interactive way. It offers different walking trails to follow around Seaham as it tells the story of buildings and sites of interest and their role in the development of the town.

• Discover Seaham app on Apple store
• Discover Seaham app on Google Play store

Guided walks and talks

A series of free guided tours have taken place. Led by Ken Bradshaw, a blue badge guide and member of the Guild of British Tourist Guides, these tours offered participants the chance to leisurely explore the town, marvel at its breathtaking coastline, and delve into its captivating history.

Seaglass Mosaics

Children from Trinity Primary School and Ropery Walk Primary School collaborated with local artist Susan Warlock to craft three stunning sea glass mosaics, now installed at the bottom of Church Street.

These young artists not only scoured the beach for sea glass but also engaged in multiple workshops led by Susan. The completed mosaics, blend found and donated sea glass with traditional glass tesserae.

Memories of Seaham

After a four week Townscape Heritage Themed Exhibition hosted at the Art Block on Church Street, we tasked members of EDAN with creating a publication focussed on collected 'Memories' of Church Street in Seaham, alongside reflections on the related art exhibition. The publication delves into the evolution of the central area of Seaham from its inception to the present era of transformation, highlighting the impact of the ongoing Townscape Heritage Project.

Our Town Children's Book

Pupils from Trinity School have collaborated with artist Susan Warlock to create the 'Our Town' children's book. This project showcases a blend of creative writing and illustrations, exploring diverse local history topics such as Church Street, Seaham's First School, the George Elmy Lifeboat Disaster, the Bombardment of Seaham, Seaham's Artillery History, and Seaham Bottleworks.

Training and skill development workshops

Heritage skills and training: Training courses in traditional building skills have been conducted in collaboration with East Durham College, comprising a total of fifteen one and two-day sessions. These courses attracted one hundred and three participants, with sessions concentrating on joinery, brickwork, masonry, lime plaster/render, and painting.

Visual display training: In addition to the physical transformations of historic buildings in the town centre, we have provided visual display training to businesses in Church Street. The goal was to educate business owners on crafting compelling visual displays and to emphasize the significance of attractive storefronts in drawing both customers and visitors to the town.