Prince of Wales Colliery

Last updated

Prince of Wales Colliery
Location
West Yorkshire UK location map.svg
Schlaegel und Eisen nach DIN 21800.svg
Prince of Wales Colliery
Location Pontefract
County West Yorkshire
CountryEngland
Coordinates 53°42′14″N1°19′08″W / 53.704°N 1.319°W / 53.704; -1.319
Production
ProductsCoal
History
Discovered1860
Opened1870 (1870)
Closed2002 (2002)
Owner
CompanyAlderman Rhodes, 1872–1896
Lord Masham, 1896–?
National Coal Board, 1947–1994
RJB Mining, 1994–2001
UK Coal, 2001–2002
Harworth Group 2002-present

The Prince of Wales Colliery was a coal mine that operated for over 130 years in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England. It was permanently closed in 2002 after geological problems were found to make accessing remaining coal reserves unprofitable, and most of the site was later converted for housing.

Contents

History

The colliery was developed from 1860, but coaling operations did not begin until 1869, [1] [2] with full production underway by 1872, when over 600 tonnes (660 tons) was being brought to the surface per week. [3] It was sometimes referred to as PoW or as the Ponty Prince, Ponty being short for Pontefract, the town that it was in. [4] [5] In 1885, the underground viewer, general manager and the owner of the mine (Alderman Rhodes, the Mayor of Pontefract) were prosecuted for not ensuring that the pit was adequately ventilated. A regulation stipulated that the air sections should be a minimum of 18 feet (5.5 m) wide, but those at the PoW were only 10 feet (3 m), 11 feet (3.4 m) and 14 feet (4.3 m). The underground viewer and general manager were fined, with the mayor being told to ensure the safe working of his mine. [6] In 1896, the mine was acquired by Lord Masham, who owned other collieries at Featherstone. [7]

Throughout the 1890s, the mine was subject to strike action on two counts; firstly, the amount that miners were paid for producing coal from the Silkstone Seam, which they believed, should be on a par with other collieries producing coal from the same seam. Secondly, Rhodes had introduced a type of fork for moving the coal from the face into the tubs known as riddles, which meant that smaller pieces of coal slipped through the tines and was less efficient as a shovel. As miners were paid by the amount they mined per shift, this led to another set of strike action. [8] [9] [10] [11]

In the 1950s, the colliery was providing employment for over 2,000 men. [12] [13] In 1986, a year after the miners strike, the pit was producing over 34,000 tonnes (37,000 tons) per week, which was above the average of 5 tonnes (5.5 tons) per person on one shift. Despite the breaking of production records, overtime was not available and 400 miners at PoW were threatening to go on strike. [14]

In March 1979, Radio One DJs Simon Bates and John Peel, broadcast a programme live from the colliery, with the first song requested being, appropriately enough, Shaft. [8] By 1981, the colliery working had been transformed from a deep mine, into a drift mine operation, and despite being in Pontefract, was listed as being in the NCBs North Yorkshire region. [15]

A drawdown of the number of pits in the 1990s, led to a suggestion that Prince of Wales Colliery should be merged with nearby Kellingley Colliery, with the output being brought to the surface in just one location. [16]

New houses being built on Prince of Wales site New houses for the Prince of Wales (geograph 5666230).jpg
New houses being built on Prince of Wales site

In 2001, geological problems with the mine were discovered which led to an investigation paid for by the Department of Trade and Industry. [17] This revealed that the cost of extracting the remaining 8,000,000 tonnes (8,800,000 tons) of coal was too expensive, and in January 2002, UK Coal announced the closure of the mine for later in the same year. [18] The company had been trying to develop the Went Edge reserves, and the inability to do so, meant the writing off of some £15.8 million in its initial investment. [19] After closure in August 2002, equipment recovery took two months. [4] [20]

In 2013, the site was remediated by Harworth Group and by 2018, almost 400 homes have been built on the 77-acre (31 ha) site with planning permission for up to 900 homes. [21] The remediation yielded over 3,000,000 tonnes (3,300,000 tons) of coal, which was sent to power stations to generate electricity. [22] There are plans to erect a steel memorial to the miners who worked at the colliery on the new housing estate built on the site. [23]

In 2014, Alkane developed a methane plant at the site which burns the gas drawn from underground to turn it into energy. The site is rated at 2 megawatts. [24]

Incidents

Notable colliers

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woolley Colliery</span> Village in South Yorkshire, England

Woolley Colliery is a village on the border between the Barnsley and Wakefield districts in Yorkshire, England. The village is now in South Yorkshire, while the former colliery was in the Wakefield Rural Ward in West Yorkshire. The village is known locally as Mucky Woolley, as a tribute to its coalmining heritage and to distinguish it from the more affluent village of Woolley two miles away.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caphouse Colliery</span>

Caphouse Colliery, originally known as Overton Colliery, was a coal mine in Overton, near Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It was situated on the Denby Grange estate owned by the Lister Kaye family, and was worked from the 18th century until 1985. It reopened as the Yorkshire Mining Museum in 1988, and is now the National Coal Mining Museum for England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maltby Main Colliery</span> Former coal mine in South Yorkshire, England

The Maltby Main Colliery was a coal mine located 7 miles (11 km) east of Rotherham on the eastern edge of Maltby, South Yorkshire, England. The mine was closed in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kellingley Colliery</span> Former coal mine in North Yorkshire, England (1965–2015)

Kellingley Colliery, known affectionately as the 'Big K', was a deep coal mine in North Yorkshire, England, 3.6 miles (5.8 km) east of Ferrybridge power station. It was owned and operated by UK Coal.

The South Yorkshire Coalfield is so named from its position within Yorkshire. It covers most of South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and a small part of North Yorkshire. The exposed coalfield outcrops in the Pennine foothills and dips under Permian rocks in the east. Its most famous coal seam is the Barnsley Bed. Coal has been mined from shallow seams and outcrops since medieval times and possibly earlier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harworth Colliery</span> Coal mine in Nottinghamshire, England

Harworth Colliery was a colliery near the town of Harworth Bircotes in Bassetlaw, Nottinghamshire, England.

Bedwas Navigation Colliery was a coal mine in the small Welsh village of Bedwas, two miles (3.2 km) north of Caerphilly. The colliery opened in 1913, and closed after the miners' strike of 1984-85.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Selby Coalfield</span>

Selby coalfield was a large-scale deep underground mine complex based around Selby, North Yorkshire, England, with pitheads at Wistow Mine, Stillingfleet Mine, Riccall Mine, North Selby Mine, Whitemoor Mine and at Gascoigne Wood Mine; all coal was brought to the surface and treated at Gascoigne Wood, being distributed onwards by rail. The primary purpose of the pit was to supply coal for electrical power generation; much of it was used in the nearby Aire valley power stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penallta Colliery</span>

Penallta Colliery was a coal mine, located close to Hengoed in the Rhymney Valley in the South Wales Valleys. A coal mine which in 1935 held the European record for coal wound in a 24-hour period, it is now the site of an original redevelopment project which will make use of the former pit head buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coal mining in the United Kingdom</span> Fossil fuel from underground

Coal mining in the United Kingdom dates back to Roman times and occurred in many different parts of the country. Britain's coalfields are associated with Northumberland and Durham, North and South Wales, Yorkshire, the Scottish Central Belt, Lancashire, Cumbria, the East and West Midlands and Kent. After 1972, coal mining quickly collapsed and had practically disappeared by the 21st century. The consumption of coal – mostly for electricity – fell from 157 million tonnes in 1970 to 18 million tonnes in 2016, of which 77% was imported from Colombia, Russia, and the United States. Employment in coal mines fell from a peak of 1,191,000 in 1920 to 695,000 in 1956, 247,000 in 1976, 44,000 in 1993, and to 2,000 in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellington Colliery</span> Former colliery in Northumberland, England

Ellington Colliery, was a coal mine situated to the south of the village of Ellington in Northumberland, England. The colliery was the last deep coal mine in the north east of England. At one time, the deepest part of the mine was 800 metres (2,600 ft) and it extended 15 miles (24 km) under the North Sea. During the 1980s, the pit was known as the biggest undersea mine in the world and produced 69% of the mined coal in Northumberland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Markham Main Colliery</span> Former colliery in South Yorkshire, England

Markham Main Colliery was a coal mine in Armthorpe, on the eastern edge of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It could be seen, and was a landmark, from the nearby M18.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haig Colliery</span>

Haig Colliery was a coal mine in Whitehaven, Cumbria, in north-west England. The mine was in operation for almost 70 years and produced anthracitic coal which is most useful for coking coal. Situated on the coast, the underground workings of the mine spread westwards out under the Irish Sea and mining was undertaken at over 4 miles (6.4 km) out underneath the sea bed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wheldale Colliery</span> Former coal mine in Castleford, West Yorkshire, England

Wheldale Colliery was a coal mine located in Castleford, Yorkshire, England which produced coal for 117 years. It was accessed from Wheldon Road.

Barrow Colliery was a coal mine in Worsborough, South Yorkshire, England. It was first dug in 1873, with the first coal being brought to the surface in January 1876. It was the scene of a major incident in 1907 when seven miners died. After 109 years of coaling operations, the mine was closed in May 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bentley Colliery</span> Former coal mine in South Yorkshire, England

Bentley Colliery was a coal mine in Bentley, near Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England, that operated between 1906 and 1993. In common with many other mines, it suffered disasters and accidents. The worst Bentley disaster was in 1931 when 45 miners were killed after a gas explosion. The site of the mine has been converted into a woodland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monckton Coke Works</span> Former coking plant in South Yorkshire, England

Monckton Coke Works was a coking plant near Royston in South Yorkshire, England. The plant opened in 1884 and was closed 130 years later in 2014, being one of the last remnants of the coal industry in Yorkshire. In the 21st century, it was known as being the last independent coke works in the United Kingdom. For many years it was known for its high-quality coking coal, even being exported to coal-rich South Africa for use in steelmaking. However, in 2013/2014, the market was swamped with cheap imports from the Far East, spelling the demise of Monckton due to it being uneconomical.

Parkside Colliery was a coal mine in Newton-le-Willows, in the historic county of Lancashire, but from 1974, until its closure in 1993, it was in the metropolitan county of Merseyside. It was always described as being in Lancashire, and was the last deep coal mine operating in the Lancashire Coalfield upon closure.

Harworth Group plc ("Harworth") is a property developer that specialises in regenerating brownfield sites in Yorkshire, the Midlands, and North West England. The company is headquartered in Rotherham in South Yorkshire. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a member of the FTSE SmallCap Index.

References

  1. ↑ Buckley, Christine (31 January 2002). "Oldest colliery to shut with loss of 500 jobs". infoweb.newsbank.com. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  2. ↑ "Pontefract & Selby Coalfields". nmrs.og.uk. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  3. ↑ "The Coal Supply". The North Wales Chronicle. No. 2, 384. Column E. 24 August 1872. p. 3.
  4. 1 2 Wainwright, Martin (31 August 2002). "Britain's oldest mine closes". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  5. ↑ Lazenby, Paul (25 November 2010). "Yorkshire miner's help in New Zealand pit disaster" . infoweb.newsbank.com. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  6. ↑ "Important Mining Prosecution at Pontefract". Middlesbrough Gazette. No. 5, 797. Column G. 6 October 1885. p. 3.
  7. ↑ "Work and Wages". The York Herald. No. 14, 207. Column D. 17 December 1896. p. 5.
  8. 1 2 "Prince of Wales - University of Wolverhampton". www.wlv.ac.uk. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  9. ↑ "The Coal Crisis". The Sheffield Independent. No. 13, 068. Column F. 11 August 1896. p. 6.
  10. ↑ "Industrial Facts and Figures". The Leeds Mercury. No. 19, 030. Column D. 1 April 1899. p. 2.
  11. ↑ Baylies, Carolyn (1993). The history of the Yorkshire miners, 1881-1918. Abingdon: Routledge. p. 211. ISBN   0415093597.
  12. ↑ "Book to pay homage to the Prince of pits" . infoweb.newsbank.com. 14 June 2006. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  13. ↑ "Durham Mining Museum - Prince of Wales Colliery (UK)". www.dmm.org.uk. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  14. ↑ Jones, Tim (17 September 1986). "Miners strike to get more work - Prince of Wales Colliery, Pontefract". The Times. No. 62, 565. p. 2. ISSN   0140-0460.
  15. ↑ Grissom, Catherine, ed. (May 1982). "Mining". Fossil Energy Update. Oak Ridge: United States Department of Energy (82/5): 72. ISSN   0146-4299.
  16. ↑ "10,000 pit jobs 'to be axed'". The Times. No. 64, 760. 28 September 1993. p. 23. ISSN   0140-0460.
  17. ↑ "Inquiry into troubled mine's future". BBC News. 18 December 2001. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  18. ↑ "Oldest mine is set to close". BBC News. 30 January 2002. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  19. ↑ "UK Coal sinks into red after problems". infoweb.newsbank.com. 6 March 2002. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  20. ↑ "Britain's oldest coal mine to close" . The Daily Telegraph. 30 January 2002. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  21. ↑ "Prince of Wales, Pontefract | A Project by Harworth Group plc". harworthgroup.com. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  22. ↑ "Housing plan for ex-colliery site". BBC News. 10 December 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  23. ↑ "Memorial to Pontefract miners is approved for housing estate". Pontefract and Castleford Express. 6 December 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  24. ↑ "Alkane is restoring life to region's coal mines" . infoweb.newsbank.com. 11 September 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  25. ↑ "Pontefract - Fatal Colliery Accident". York Herald. No. 6, 088. Column B. 11 August 1876. p. 7.
  26. ↑ "PRINCE OF WALES MINE 124s SALVAGE DISTRICT, Warren House seam. REFERENCE — INVESTIGATION OF DOUBLE DANGEROUS OCCURRENCE" (PDF). mineaccidents.com.au. HM Inspector of Mines. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  27. ↑ "Sir Jimmy receives honour for wartime work" . infoweb.newsbank.com. 26 March 2008. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  28. ↑ "Brown honours wartime Bevin Boys". BBC News. 25 March 2008. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.