Kent Coalfield

The Kent Coalfield was a coalfield in the eastern part of the English county of Kent. The Coalfields Trust defines the Kent Coalfield as the wards of Barnham Downs and Marshside in the Canterbury district, and the wards of Aylesham, Eastry, Eythorne & Shepherdswell, Middle Deal & Sholden, Mill Hill and North Deal in the Dover district.
Coal was discovered in the area in 1890 while borings for an early Channel Tunnel project were taking place; the resultant Shakespeare colliery lasted until 1915.
In 1911, investigation into whether there was other workable coal was planned. Six ‘bore holes’ were put down in search of coal (at Rushbourne, Hoads Wood in Sturry, Herne Bay, Reculver, Chitty (which is near Chislet) and Chislet Park near the future site of Hersden). In the early years many collieries were sunk but were short-lived and the East Kent Light Railway was built to exploit the anticipated business.
Extensive plans had been drawn up by 1914 for major coal exploitation in east Kent, and the coalfield expanded rapidly in the late 1920s and early 1930s, with its maximum output reached in 1936. The outbreak of war and disappointing test results resulted in four collieries surviving: Betteshanger, Chislet, Snowdown and Tilmanstone. Had coal been more easily accessible, the open, rural landscape of east Kent could have changed beyond recognition.
Geology.
Various geologists, including Robert Godwin-Austen, theorised that the geological conditions in East Kent were conducive to the existence of coal and therefore the potential for coal mining. Godwin-Austen put forward his views in 1857, and they were accepted by Sir Joseph Prestwich, who was a member of the Royal Coal Commission from 1866 to 1871.
The rock sequences found in the "concealed coalfields", all those of the counties of Kent, Berkshire and Oxfordshire have been formally renamed in recent years using terms established for the South Wales Coalfield. Much of the strata now assigned to the Warwickshire Group was formerly assigned to the Upper Coal Measures. The following seams are recognised. They are listed in stratigraphical order with the uppermost/youngest at the top and the lowermost/oldest at the bottom:
Test bores.
Test bores were made at the following places:-
Collieries.
Betteshanger.
Standing to the northwest of [[Deal, Kent|Deal]], this colliery was served by a branch off the [[Kent Coast Line|Minster to Dover]] line. The colliery opened in 1924, the first coal was raised in 1927. In 1945, the workforce was 2,033, with 1,594 being employed sub-surface and 439 above. Betteshanger was infamously the only pit to [[Strike action|strike]] during [[World War II]] (in 1941) which raised much public contempt despite justification. Betteshanger was the last pit to return to work after the [[UK miners' strike (1984–1985)|1984–85 Miners' Strike]] and it closed on 26 August 1989. A few of the buildings survive today.
Chislet.
Work began at [[Chislet]] in 1914, and the colliery produced its first coal in 1918. The fact that its owners, the Anglo-Westphalian Kent Coalfield Ltd., had [[Germany|German]] connections caused questions to be asked in Parliament. The company changed its name to the North Kent Coalfield Ltd., and later to Chislet Colliery Ltd. The colliery was served by the [[Ashford to Ramsgate (via Canterbury West) line|Ashford to Minster railway]], and a [[Chislet Colliery Halt railway station|halt]] was built to serve the miners. In 1945, the workforce was 1,350, with 1,023 being employed sub-surface and 327 above. In 1963-4 a 550V.dc railway was built into the south eastern area of the mine. It had formerly used battery locomotives. The colliery closed on 25 July 1969, the abandonment of [[Steam locomotive|steam traction]] by [[British Rail]] having taken away the market for its coal. Houses for the miners were built at [[Hersden]], which still has a social club named the Chislet Colliery Social Club.
Snowdown.
[[File:Capped mine shaft and winding engine house.jpg|thumb|right|Snowdown Colliery, August 1992]]
Snowdown was the deepest mine in Kent at 3083 feet. Work commenced in 1908, and coal was first brought to the surface on 19 November 1912. The first shaft sunk hit water at and 22 men were drowned. [[Snowdown]], reaching a depth of . The colliery was served by the [[Chatham Main Line|Faversham to Dover railway]], and a [[Halt (railway)|halt]] ([[Snowdown railway station|Snowdown and Nonington Halt]]) was provided. In 1945 the workforce was 1,876, with 1,523 being employed sub-surface and 353 above. The colliery closed in 1987 and the shafts were capped in 1988. A few ruinous buildings remain today.
Snowdown Colliery railway.
[[File:Snowdown Colliery locomotives.jpg|thumb|Two of the Snowdown "saint" locomotives in 1968.]]
The colliery had an extensive internal [[standard gauge]] rail network, connected to the mainline at [[Snowdown railway station|Snowdown and Nonington Halt]]. The line was operated by steam locomotives, the last of which survived in working condition after the demise of steam traction on the national mainline in 1968. The colliery railway was by then using a mixed fleet of steam and diesel locomotives, with the final steam withdrawals taking place in the late 1970s. The final three steam locomotives were named after [[saint]]s with nearby [[Canterbury]] connections. "St Thomas" (named for [[St Thomas of Canterbury]]), "St Dunstan" (named for [[Dunstan]], also a medieval [[Archbishop of Canterbury]]), and "St Martin" (named for St Martin, patron of England's oldest parish church, [[St Martin's Church, Canterbury]]). The colliery railway network was dismantled following the closure of the colliery in 1987. "St Thomas" and "St Dunstan" both survive into preservation. "St Martin", which had been badly damaged when its tanks were left full of water which froze on a winter night, was scrapped.
In the final days before closure the railway was worked by [[British Rail Class 08]] shunter engines.
Tilmanstone.
[[File:PO wagon, Tilmanstone.jpg|thumb|An open wagon in the livery of Tilmanstone Colliery]]
Work was commenced at [[Tilmanstone]] in 1911. An accident in 1913 killed three men and destroyed the pumping system, causing the mine to flood and work was abandoned for nine months. The site was connected to the East Kent Light Railway in 1915 and coal first brought to the surface in March 1916. An accident at the pit on 27 February 1931 resulted in [[Sydney William Padfield]] being awarded a bronze [[Edward Medal]], the only one awarded in the Kent Coalfield. An [[aerial ropeway]] was built in 1930 to link the pit with [[Dover Harbour]]. This included [[tunnel]]ling through the cliff at [[Dover]] to deliver the coal to a 5,000 ton bunker at the harbour. It wasn't used much after 1935, and was dismantled in 1954. In 1945, the workforce was 914, with 631 being employed sub-surface and 283 above. The colliery closed in 1988, having produced over 20,000,000 tons of coal. A system of tokens was used in the pithead baths and canteen and a lamp check was operated, in common with the majority of pits. All buildings have been demolished.
Failed sinkings.
Adisham.
A colliery was planned at [[Adisham]]. It was not commenced.
Cobham.
A mine at [[Cobham, Kent|Cobham]] produced a small quantity of brown [[lignite]], although some [[bituminous coal]] had been found. It had been mined open-cast, the coal being used by [[Earl of Darnley|Lord Darnley]] to heat [[Cobham Hall]]. Two drifts were dug into the hillside in 1947; at one point the mine was producing 80 tons per week. The mine closed in 1953 and the site cleared.
Guilford.
The first test shaft was sunk in 1906, hoping to find the coal seams discovered under [[Waldershare]] Park. The [[East Kent Light Railway]] connected to the pit in November 1912. No coal had been found by 1918, and the colliery closed in the 1920s owing to geological problems. Two buildings remain at the site.
Hammill (Woodnesborough).
[[File:Hammill Brickworks.jpg|thumb|Former colliery building at Hammill Brickworks]]This site was located to the south of [[Woodnesborough]]. Work here was abandoned in 1914 without coal being found. It was served by a half mile branch off the East Kent Light Railway. The site was subsequently used by the Hammill [[Brickworks]]. Some buildings survive.
Maydensole.
This colliery was to have been located near [[East Langdon]]. Some boreholes were drilled but work was abandoned without any shafts being sunk.
Shakespeare.
Shakespeare was located in [[West Hougham]] on the site of the original Channel Tunnel workings. Coal had been discovered at a depth of below Shakespeare Cliff on 15 February 1890. The first shaft was stated on 21 August 1891. A [[mining accident]] on 6 March 1897 killed eight men. The cause was a sudden inrush of water at a depth of . This problem was solved by lining the shaft with [[cast iron]] tubes as the shaft was sunk. By February 1905, just 12 tons of coal had been brought to the surface. Only 1,000 tons had been raised by 1912 and the colliery closed in December 1915 due to geological problems. [[Shakespeare Cliff Halt railway station|Shakespeare Cliff Halt]] opened in 1913 to serve the miners. The site was obliterated by workings in connection with building the Channel Tunnel in the 1980s.
Stonehall.
This colliery was near [[Lydden]]. It was abandoned in 1914 without coal being found. It lay derelict until 1919 when work recommenced, only to be abandoned and most of the buildings demolished in 1921. A couple of buildings remain.
Wingham.
Work at [[Wingham, Kent|Wingham]] was abandoned in 1914, without coal being found. Water had been hit, and there was no finance to buy pumps. The buildings were mothballed and sold in 1924, being used for a [[Mill (grinding)|milling]] business. The colliery was to be served by the East Kent Light Railway.
Associated development.
The village of [[Aylesham, Kent|Aylesham]] was built in the 1920s to provide accommodation to service the Kent coal mines. It was planned to provide for around 30,000 residents, but in reality only 1,000 houses had been built by the 1960s.
External links.
[[Category:History of Kent]]
[[Category:Mining in Kent]]
[[Category:Coal mining regions in England]]
[[Category:Geology of Kent]]