Keresley colliery history books

I have been unsuccessful in finding old pictures of binley village i got one of. Nationalised on 1 january 1947, the colliery became part of the national coal boards ncb area 4 warwickshire. Then in 1911 shafts were sunk by a coal mining company near keresley. A mine was sunk in 1911, known as coventry colliery, and the village of new keresley was.

Get premium, high resolution news photos at getty images. The worst mining disaster in kearsley was the unity brook disaster on march 12th 1878 where 43 men and boys died in an explosion. For centuries keresley was a village of two halves, keresley green to the north and keresley heath to the south. Keresley community church opens, an ecumenical church shared by anglicans and methodists. A selection of pictures on please be kind enough to ask for the owners permission if you wish to use their pictures. A large area beneath coventry contains a broad coal seam. At the turn of the century, keresley was a truly rural area of quiet beauty, with a few farmhouses dotted here and there, until rich seams of coal were discovered underground. The history of exhall colliery is complicated with workings in pits whose workings were absorbed into the later colliery back into the 18th century.

It was the start of 60 years of mining at keresley and development of the modern keresley village. The church of the ascension, keresley, was demolished in december 1994, after the building became unsafe two years before keresley colliery finally closed. The warwickshire coal company acquired land at leighton farm, keresley, around the turn of the century, and sinkers drilling bore holes discovered an abundance of coal. Robert russell, managing director of the company cut the first sod for the no 1 shaft of coventry colliery in the first week of april 1912. Keresley was not mentioned in the domesday book 1086. According to the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 791. A new book is now available on the history of this group of bedworth collieries. A series of bw stills follow showing the colliery as the commentary talks about its history beginning with the warwickshire coal company. Keresley end is a village in warwickshire, england, also known as keresley newlands.

Keresley is in coventry, while the slightly more rural. In the early 1960s, the ncb started a development of a smokeless coal plant, known as a homefire plant, on site. James, who was amazed to see this super photo on the internet, thinks that the backdrop is keresley colliery park, which is at the bottom of thompson road off. In that year the construction of coventry colliery by the warwickshire coal company near to keresley green brought the focus of development back to that area. The warwickshire coal company commenced trial excavations at keresley north of coventry during 1902 and soon discovered a viable seam. After speaking to several friends the idea was born to produce a concise history of the cannock chase coalfield and the pits in it, to preserve and protect the memory of those mines and miners that w ere about t o pass into oblivion. Holbrooks is a residential area of coventry, west midlands, england most of the length of the four brooks which pass through the area are covered or culverted, one culvert is adjacent to the recently built housing on watery lane.

Although located outside the city boundary, the colliery was an important employer in. Information on the binley and earnsford grange areas of. Even the coventry colliery social club the venue for union meetings and endofshift drinking sessions has been flattened and the golden eagle pub, keresley s only other watering hole. What is not generally known is that the warwickshire coal co. Keresley shares much of its history with coundon, as it did its church, but the past 150 years have created some rather peculiar internal changes of their own. Terry macalister, pamela duncan, cath levett, finbarr sheehy, paul scruton and glenn swann. Shafts of coventry colliery were sunk in 1911 and the mine began operating in 1917. A selection of coal mining pictures pictures that appear. As a result of the colliery a new settlement grew up by the colliery at keresley newland. Today, while daw mill continues to work, keresley s contribution to the mining industry is confined to the history books, having closed in 1994 following privatisation. Des shepherd, who was part of the keresley pit strike, says.

A commentator in 1938 could say that the parish was in two halves, old keresley or keresley heath, and keresley green around the colliery, which was mainly modern. Workers and their families at coventry and warwickshires collieries were. Worked in the mines for 35yrs till keresley closed. A branch railway from foleshill to the coventry colliery crosses the northeast. If your ancestor was involved in the management of a colliery you may be able to find him in published colliery directories, e.

See more ideas about old photos, family history book and coal mining. Keresley is in coventry, while the slightly more rural keresley end, also known as keresley village or. Preserving the past, promoting the present and forging the future. Closed in 1991, the site today has been redeveloped as a distribution park, owned by prologis. Binley colliery was founded in 1907 and this quickly brought new life to the area, with a special village built to accommodate the miners, who numbered 474 in 1924, out of a total population of just over 800. This came into production in 1967, and resultantly in an ncb reorganisation the coventry colliery became part of the south midlands area smd. According to the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 791 falling to 7 at the 2011 census. Miners and their wives from keresley colliery, coventry, demonstrate in the vicinity of the tower of london.

Hansard 18032005 1930s 1931 september 1931 30 september 1931 commons sitting coal industry. Keresley is in coventry, while the slightly more rural keresely end, also known as keresley village or keresley newlands, is in warwickshire. Longford loading wharf was for coventry colliery also called keresley colliery and boats were only loaded by lorry as shown in one of the pictures. It is about half a mile north of keresley, a suburb of coventry, and being near to the former keresley colliery, it was where many coal miners lived. Otherwise you may have to search the records for a number of collieries. In 1911 the population of keresley was still only 689. We then see clips from an ncb film showing coventry colliery and keresley village soon after nationalisation. Llewellyn jones, of collycroft, bedworth, warwickshire, a relief deputy at the keresley colliery, have been brought to his notice. I took this series of photos between the official closure of the pit in february 1989 and when the railway closed. Keresley end is a village in warwickshire, england. Two shops bought in keresley village for new church. Timeline of st thomas the parish of keresley with coundon.

See more ideas about coal mining, durham and north east england. Other pits in the area are the ringley colliery, the outwood colliery. A timeline of keresley an encyclopedia of world history. The colliery ceased underground operations for good in 1991. Photographs of keresley coal mine on the mining history web site uk. The miners strike of 1984 was one of the most hard fought industrial disputes ever seen. Young boys were employed in warwickshire coalfields in the 18th and 19th centuries. The first shafts were sunk in 1911 with mining starting in earnest in 1917. In 1925 a redundant wooden sinkers hut was given to be used as a home for the mission. The former hamlet and civil parish of keresley lay about 2. Parish centenary book the parish of keresley with coundon.

Coventry colliery was a coal mine located in the village of keresley, close to the town of bedworth, england. Another brook passes through and under the grounds of parkgate school. In its heyday coventry colliery was producing a million tonnes of coal a year and employing more than 1,000 miners. Keresley had become a pit village when colliery workings began in 1908. Miners and their wives from keresley colliery, coventry. Meanwhile in 1919 a railway branch line was built to serve keresley colliery. Today, while daw mill continues to work, keresleys contribution to the mining industry is confined to the history books, having closed in 1994 following privatisation. For many years keresley colliery was the place for much employment in the warwickshire coalfield. Keresley 30 years on from the national miners strike. Keresley is a village and civil parish in the city of coventry, west midlands, england, about 4. Coventry colliery coventry, west midlands, uk mines on.

Timeline of st thomas old photos of st thomas monuments on the walls. Information, photographs and plans for keresley coal mine on the mine exploration web site uk. In the early 1950s many workers left the pit for better paid jobs in the nearby coventry motor. He had an ambition to fill this void and produce a book his life down littleton colliery and its history. Keresley is a village and civil parish in the city of coventry, west midlands, england, about 5 miles 8 km north of coventry city centre. Among those named are thomas lever, 18, samuel wolstenholme, 50, william wolstenholme, 23, john tickle lomax, 31, james beattie, 19, robert 40. Coventry colliery was a coal mine located in the village of keresley, close to the town of. Miners and trade unionists gather at tower green to march to westminster, where they.