Seaham Beach

Seaham Beach is a pleasant sandy beach, with some areas of rock, which stretches on for around half a mile beyond the north of the town and harbour. It is sometimes referred to as Seaham North Beach and until 2013 it was known as Seaham Hall Beach.

The beach is backed by a promenade. Behind the promenade are low rise cliffs and a grassy area. Towering above the beach is Seaham Hall, where in 1815 Lord Byron married heiress Anne Milbanke. Now the building operates as a luxury hotel.

Also above the beach is a sculpture of a First World War soldier, known locally as “Tommy” he looks towards the war memorial.

Until the 1920s Seaham had one of the country’s largest glass factories. Today, almost 100 years after the plant closed, Seaham Beach is possibly the best place to come for smooth, multi-coloured sea glass. Beachcombers might find the smooth glass “stones” on the shore line, as well as fossils and shells.

The former mining town of Seaham suffered with high unemployment after the closures of the local mines. However a regeneration of the beach and surrounding area has brought the tourist trade to Seaham, and with the marina, shops and other attractions around the harbour this resort gets quite busy in summer.