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The northern part of the coalfield between Colne and Blackburn has a number of papers and monographs covering its history and geology.1-4
Many of this area’s small mines were linked by chain hauled tramways locally called ginneys.
The more important southern area, with its steeply dipping and heavily faulted seams, has not been covered in the same detail.5-9
Like parts of Staffordshire and Shropshire, the Wigan area produced large amounts of cannel coal which was favoured for gas making.

When the coal industry was nationalised in 1947, there were 108 collieries in Lancashire; now there are none. The last five pits to close were Golborne (1986), Agecroft (1990), Sutton Manor (1991), Bickershaw (1992) & Parkside (1993)

  1. Bond, B. Martholme Pit, Great Harwood, British Mining No.25, 1984, pp.31-37
  2. Nadin, J. The Coal Mines of East Lancashire, British Mining No.58, 1997
  3. Williamson, I.A. The Burnley Coalfield, British Mining No.63, 1999, pp.6-27
  4. Nadin, J. Coal Mines Around Accrington & Blackburn, British Mining No.64, 1999
  5. Fanning, G. Oldham Coal, British Mining No.68, 2001
  6. Hayes, G. Collieries in the Manchester Coalfields (Eindhoven: De Archaeologische Pers, 1987)
  7. Atkinson, G. The Canal Duke’s Collieries: Worsley 1760-1900 (Swinton: The author, ud)
  8. Davies, A. & Hudson, L. The Wigan Coalfield (Stoud: Tempus, 2001)
  9. Davies, A. The Pit Brow Women of the Wigan Coalfield (Stoud: Tempus, 2006)

Special Rules of some of the Lancashire, Cheshire & North Wales Collieries 1855.

Mining & the church of St Thomas

Collieries after Nationalisation in 1947

Dates in brackets indicate the date that the colliery merged with another

Colliery Location Opened Closed
Agecroft Pendlebury 1892 July 1990
Albert Hindley 1940 November 1965
Alexandra Pit Whelley 1875 June 1955
Ashton Moss Audenshaw 1875 (September) (1959) – merged with Bradford
Astley Green Tyldesley 1908 April 1970
Bank Hall Burnley 1854 March 1971
Bedford Atherton 1886 October 1967
Bickershaw Bickershaw 1855 March 1992
Black Clough Deerplay 1948 1955
Bold Earlstown 1876 November 1985
Brackley Walkden 1878 May 1964
Bradford Bradford 1854 August 1968
Calder Accrington 1902 July 1958
Chanters Atherton 1850 June 1966
Chisnall Hall Coppull 1895 March 1967
Chisnall Hall No.1 Coppull 1897 March 1967
Chisnall Hall No.2 Coppull 1895 March 1967
Cleworth Hall Tyldesley 1980 January 1963
Cleworth Hall, No.1 Tyldesley 1880 January 1963
Cleworth Hall, No.2 Tyldesley 1915 January 1963
Cleworth Hall, No.3 Tyldesley 1925 January 1963
Clifton Burnley 1872 December 1955
Clock Face St Helens 1904 March 1966
Copy Cliviger 1865 March 1964
Cronton Whiston 1914 March 1984
Dairy Atherton 1890 September 1962
Deane Rumworth 1868 October 1960
Deerplay Deerplay 1895 March 1968
Deerplay (Higher) Deerplay 1947 August 1952
Dyneley Knoll Cliviger 1930 October 1947
Edge Fold Walkden 1846 1964
Ellerbeck Coppull 1880 August 1965
Farnworth Bridge Little Lever 1869 September 1949
Fence No.1 Fence 1947 October 1950
Fence No.2 Fence 1947 June 1960
Fir Trees Drift Higham 1958 March 1966
Garswood Hall Ashton-in-Makerfield 1887 August 1958
Garswood Hall No.5 Ashton-in-Makerfield 1890 1955
Garswood Hall No.6 Ashton-in-Makerfield 1890 1955
Garswood Hall No.7 Ashton-in-Makerfield 1890 1955
Giant’s Hall Standish 1880 January 1961
Gibfield Atherton 1869 August 1963
Gin Pit Tyldesley 1870 (September (1955)
Golborne Golborne 1865 (April) (1986)
Grimebridge Newchurch 1869 November 1963
Hapton Valley Hapton 1853 April 1982
Higher Brooks, Middle Place Drift Ashton-in-Makerfield 1938 1950
Hill Top Drift Cliviger 1948 January 1966
Hoddlesden No.12 Hoddlesden 1934 September 1961
Howe Bridge Atherton 1850 September 1959
Huncoat Huncoat 1890 February 1968
John Pit Standish 1835 (May) (1954)
Ladyshore, Owl Hole Little Lever 1880 July 1949
Ladyshore, Victoria Little Lever 1908 July 1949
Landgate Ashton-in-Makerfield 1874 September 1960
Lea Green St Helens 1880 August 1964
Lea Green, King Pit St Helens 1908 August 1964
Lea Green, Queen Pit St Helens 1905 August 1964
Long Lane Ashton-in-Makerfield 1890 April 1955
Lyme Haydock 1880 March 1964
Mains (Mesnes) Ashton-in-Makerfield 1855 September 1960
Maypole Platt Bridge 1895 March 1959
Moor Lane Drift Ashton-in-Makerfield 1940 1950
Moorfields Altham 1879 January 1949
Mosley Common Ellenbrook 1860 February 1968
Moss, No.3 Ince-in-Makerfield 1895 1955
Moss, No.4 Ince-in-Makerfield 1895 November 1962
Moss, No.5 Ince-in-Makerfield 1895 November 1962
Moss, No.6 Ince-in-Makerfield 1895 November 1962
Moston Newton Heath 1887 June 1950
Nabb Dean 1860 March 1954
Newtown Clifton 1875 March 1961
Nook Tyldesley 1860 August 1965
Oak Hollinwood 1842 July 1956
Old Boston Haydock 1880 November 1952
Old Meadows Bacup 1860 March 1969
Owl Hole Little Lever 1880 July 1949
Park Ashton-in-Makerfield 1887 June 1960
Parkside Newton le Willows 1960 June 1993
Parsonage Leigh 1913 (March) (1983)
Pendlebury Pendlebury 1842 June 1961
Ravenhead St Helens 1855 October 1968
Reedley Reedley 1879 May 1960
Robin Hill Drift Standish 1960 November 1963
Salterford, No.1 Drift Cliviger 1948 April 1956
Salterford, No.2 Drift Cliviger 1953 December 1959
Sandhole Worsley 1865 September 1962
Scaitcliffe Accrington 1880 June 1962
Seneley Green Drift Ashton-in-Makerfield 1950 1950
St Georges Tyldesley 1866 August 1965
St Helens, Alexandra St Helens 1917 October 1968
Standish Hall Drift Standish 1949 July 1961
Summersales Pemberton 1937 March 1966
Sumners Hall Drift Pemberton 1937 March 1966
Sutton Manor Marshall’s Cross 1906 May 1991
Thorny Bank Drift Hapton 1950 July 1968
Towneley Desmesne Towneley 1869 March 1949
Towneley, Boggart Towneley 1865 March 1949
Towneley, Park Towneley 1930 March 1949
Victoria Standish 1900 July 1958
Welch Whittle Coppull 1859 December 1959
Wharton Hall, No.1 Tyldesley 1873 1964
Wheatsheaf Pendlebury 1842 June 1961
Wigan Junction Abram 1887 May 1962
Windy Arbour Winstanley 1925 1980
Wood Haydock 1866 May 1971
Woodpark Bardsley 1836 March 1955
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