 Prior to the 1960s, Heddon-on-the-Wall was a small village with an economy based strongly on traditional industry including farming and coal mining.Large-scale coal mining close to the village began in the late 1950s with the opening of the Bays Leap, a opencast mine site located a short distance north of Heddon-on-the-Wall.The site supported seven coal seams at its peak, and evidence was found of earlier mine shafts.