Somerset coalfield

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The Somerset coalfield included pits in the north Somerset, England, area where coal was mined from the 15th century until 1973.

It is part of a wider field which covered northern Somerset and southern Gloucestershire counties in England. It stretched from Cromhall in the north to the Mendip Hills in the south, and from Bath in the east to Nailsea in the west, a total area of about 240 square miles (620 km²).^[1] Most of the pits in the Somerset coalfield were concentrated along the Cam Brook, Wellow Brook and Nettlebridge Valleys and in the areas around Radstock and Farrington Gurney. The pits were often grouped geographically with clusters of pits which were close together working the same coal seams and often under the same ownership. Many also shared the same trackways and tramways which took the coal to the Somerset Coal Canal or railways for distribution.

Many of the early pits were bell pits, however these were replaced as deeper seams were mined, with the deepest shaft being the Strap mine at Nettlebridge reaching 1838 ft (560.2m). Many of the mines flooded and there were also coal dust explosions, both of which required improved ventilation and equipment. Many of the pits closed in the 19th century as the available coal was worked out. Those that survived until 1947 became part of the National Coal Board, however the expense of improving equipment and working conditions meant that even these became uneconomic and the last pit closed in 1973. There is still some evidence of some of the mine workings with the remains of buildings, spoil heaps and tramways around the area.

Contents 1 History 2 Geology 3 Pensford coal basin 3.1 The pits 4 Earl of Warwick's Clutton Collieries 4.1 The pits 5 Paulton basin 5.1 The pits 6 Timsbury and Camerton 6.1 The pits 7 East of Camerton 7.1 The pits 8 Farrington Gurney 8.1 The pits 9 The Duchy Mines 9.1 The pits 10 Earl Waldegrave's Radstock Collieries 10.1 The pits 11 Writhlington Collieries 11.1 The pits 12 Norton Hill Collieries 12.1 The pits 13 Nettlebridge Valley 13.1 The pits 14 Transportation 15 Output 16 Decline and closure 17 Area today 18 References 19 Bibliography 20 Notes

[edit] History

It is believed that coal was mined in the area during Roman times and there is documentary evidence of coal being dug on the Mendips in 1305^[2] and at Kilmersdon in 1437. By the time of Henry VIII there were coal pits at Clutton, High Littleton and Stratton-on-the-Fosse.

During the early part of the 17th century coal was largely obtained by excavating the outcrops or driving an incline, which involved following the seam into the ground. Only a small amount of coal could be obtained by these methods and so bell pits took their place. These were vertical pits, about 4 feet (1.2 m) in diameter at the top and as much as 60 feet (18.3 m) deep, which were widened out at the bottom. When all the coal that could safely be extracted from a bell pit had been recovered, another pit would be sunk close by to intersect the seam and the waste from the second pit thrown into the first pit.^[3]

The industrial uses of coal were varied. Coal was used in limekilns to produce lime, which was much in demand for mortar production for building purposes and by farmers to improve soil. From 1820 it was used to produce gas for town lighting and to drive the woollen mills in the area. Coke uses included drying malt in the brewing industry!^[4]

[edit] Geology

Much of the exploratory survey work was carried out by William Smith, who became known as the "Father of English Geology". Smith worked at one of the estate's older mines, the Mearns Pit at High Littleton. As he observed the rock layers, or strata, at the pit he realised that they were arranged in a predictable pattern, and that the various strata could always be found in the same relative positions. Additionally, each particular stratum could be identified by the fossils it contained, and the same succession of fossil groups from older to younger rocks could be found in many parts of England. Furthermore, he noticed an easterly dip of the beds of rock- small near the surface (about three degrees) then bigger after the Triassic rocks. This gave Smith a testable hypothesis, which he termed The Principle of Faunal Succession, and he began his search to determine if the relationships between the strata and their characteristics were consistent throughout the country. During subsequent travels, first as a surveyor (appointed by noted engineer John Rennie) for the canal company until 1799 when he was dismissed, and later, he was continually taking samples and mapping the locations of the various strata, and displaying the vertical extent of the strata, and drawing cross-sections and tables of what he saw. This would earn him the name "Strata Smith".

Lower and Middle Coal Measures are found at depths between 500 and 5,000 feet (152-1,525 m). Together the Lower and Middle Coal Measures are 2,000 to 2,500 feet (610-762 m) thick with the Middle Coal Measures averaging about 1,600 feet (488 m) and the Lower Coal Measures about 600 feet (183 m). The Somerset coalfield consists of the northern Pensford and the southern Radstock synclines separated by the east-west trending Farmborough Fault Belt. Only in the southern part of the Radstock Syncline have coals of the Lower and Middle Coal Measures been worked, mainly at the Newbury and Vobster collieries in the southeast and in the New Rock and Moorewood pits to the southwest. Only in the eastern part of Pensford Syncline have coals of the Lower and Middle Coal Measures been worked, at the Globe Pit in the Newton St Loe area in the 19th century.^[5] The complex geology gained the field notoriety and three underground explosions, in 1893, 1895 and 1908 were amongst the first attributable solely to airborne coal dust.^[6]

[edit] Pensford coal basin

The Pensford coal basin lies in the northern area of the Somerset coal field around Bishop Sutton, Pensford, Stanton Drew, Farmborough and Hunstrete.

The date for the first pits around Bishop Sutton are uncertain but there was one before 1719.

[edit] The pits

Colliery	Location	Grid Ref[A]	Opened	Closed	Shaft diameter ft in (m)[6]	Max shaft depth ft (m)[6]	Notes
Bishop Sutton (old)	Bishop Sutton	ST587597	c1811	1855	?	304 (92.7)	Bought by William Rees-Mogg in 1835[7]
Bishop Sutton (new)	Bishop Sutton	ST587597	1855	1929[8]	9 0 (2.7)	877 (267.3)	1896 owned by F. Spencer, New Rock Colliery,[9] 1908 owned by J Lovell and Sons[10]
Bromley	Pensford	ST619637	1860[6]	1957[6]	4 6 (1.4)	475 (144.8)	1896[9] & 1908 Owned by Bromley Coal Co Ltd. [10]
Common Wood Level	Hunstrete	ST647624	1829	1832	?	?	No coal mined. Attempts made again in 1969 but unsuccessful
Farmborough	Farmborough	ST663605	c1841	1847	?	1413 (430.7)	No coal mined
Pensford	Pensford	ST619637	1909[6]	1955[6]	14 0 (4.3)	1494 (445.4)
Rydon's (or Riding's)	Stanton Drew	ST597632	1808	1833	?	312 (95)

[edit] Earl of Warwick's Clutton Collieries

Coal mines were established in the villages of High Littleton and Hallatrow by 1633 because here the coal seams ran obliquely to the surface. The first deep mine was Mearns Coalworks which began in 1783. The Greyfield Coal Company did not start until 1833.

The Earl of Warwick's estates included sawmills, quarries, brickworks and collieries in addition to their agricultural holdings. These pits are around Clutton and High Littleton.

[edit] The pits

Colliery	Location	Grid Ref[A]	Opened	Closed	Shaft diameter ft in (m)[6]	Max shaft depth ft (m)[6]	Notes
Burchells (sometimes spelt Burchills or Birchill's)[11]	Clutton	ST625593	1911 (reopened)[11]	1921[11]	?	148 (45.1)
Fry's Bottom	Clutton	ST626603	1830s[11]	1885[8]	9 0 (2.7)	588 (179.2)
Greyfield	Clutton	ST641585	1833	1911[8][11]	10 0 (3)	900 (274.3)	1908[10] Owned by Greyfield Colliery Co. Ltd.,
Mooresland	Clutton	ST641585	1840s	?	?	?	Output transferred to nearby Greyfield

[edit] Paulton basin

Paulton was the terminus of the northern branch of the Somerset Coal Canal and was a central point for at least 15 collieries around Paulton, Timsbury and High Littleton, which were connected to the canal by tramroads.

On the northern side of Paulton basin was the terminus for the tramroad which served Old Grove, Prior's, Tyning and Hayeswood pits, with a branch line to Amesbury and Mearns pits. Parts of this line were still in use in 1873, probably all carrying horse drawn wagons of coal.

The southern side of the basin served Brittens, Littleborrok, Paulton Ham, Paulton Hill, Simons Hill terminating at Salisbury Colliery. In addition the Paulton Foundry used this line. The entire line was disused by 1871 as were the collieries it served.

The area has been designated as an ‘area of special architectural or historic interest, the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance’ under section 69 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990.^[12]

[edit] The pits

Colliery	Location	Grid Ref[A]	Opened	Closed	Shaft diameter ft in (m)[6]	Max shaft depth ft (m)[6]	Notes
Amesbury	High Littleton	ST656588	before 1701	early 1800s	?	200 (61)
Brewers	Paulton	ST650566	before 1700	?	?	102 (31)
Brittens Lower	Paulton	ST657564	?	by 1864	?	?
Brittens New	Paulton	ST657564	?	by 1864	?	?
Brombel (or Brombells, possibly Allens Paddock)	Paulton	ST650566	before 1793	?	4 6 (1.4)	?
Crossways	Paulton	ST650566	?	?	5 (1.5)	144 (43.9)
Goosard (or Gooseward or Goosewardsham or Paulton Lower Engine)	Paulton	ST655575	1708	?	?	?
Hayeswood	Timsbury	ST657592	1750	1862	6 0 (1.8)	642 (195.7)
Heighgrove (or Woody Heighgrove)	Paulton	ST650566	1753	1819	?	?
Littlebrook	Paulton	ST651562	?	c1850s	5 0 (1.5)	215 (65.5)
Mearns	High Littleton	ST652588	1783	1824	4 6 (1.4)	279 (85)
New Grove (possibly also Priors)	Paulton	ST650566	1792	?	?	?
Tyning	Timsbury	ST659587	1766	?	?	?	Old & New Pits
Old Grove	Paulton	ST661579	?	?	4 6 (1.4)	4185 (1373)
Paulton Bottom	Paulton	ST650566	?	?	4 6 (1.4)	60 (18.3)
Paulton Engine	Paulton	ST650566	before 1750	?	9 0 (2.75)	609 (185.6)	Next to Paulton Brass and Iron foundry
Paulton Ham	Paulton	ST650566	c1830s	1964	6 0 (1.83)	552 (168.2)
Paulton Hill	Paulton	ST650566	1840	1864	?	798 (243.2)
Radford	Paulton	ST673577	c1800	1847	6 (1.8)	1152 (351.1)
Salisbury	Paulton	ST658557	1792	1873	6 (1.8)	150 (45.7)
Simons Hill (also known as Simmons Hill)	Paulton	ST650566	1811	1844	4 6 (1.4)	672 (204.8)
Withy Mills	Paulton	ST661577	?1804	1877	4 6 (1.4)	804 (245)

[edit] Timsbury and Camerton

The first of the collieries around Timsbury village was sunk in 1791 and known as Conygre (Conigre in some old spellings) and those at Camerton in 1781.

There is very little landscape evidence remaining of the previous mining activities around Clutton, Temple Cloud, High Littleton and Timsbury. There are a few small batches at Clutton, east of Radford Hill and at Greyfields, High Littleton.^[13]

[edit] The pits

Colliery	Location	Grid Ref[A]	Opened	Closed	Shaft diameter ft in (m)[6]	Max shaft depth ft (m)[6]	Notes
Camerton New	Camerton	ST688579	1800	1950[14]	8 0 (2.4)	1818 (554.1) (a lesser depth) before 1800	Site of a massive coal dust explosion at Camerton New in 1893 which killed two miners.[15]
Camerton Old	Camerton	ST680580	1781	1898	7 0 (2.1)	921 (280.7)	1896[9] & 1908[10] owned by Miss E.E. Jarrett.
Lower Conygre	Timsbury	ST675583	1847	1916	8 0 (2.4)	1128 (343.8)	Merger of Upper and Lower pits. 1896[9] owned by Samborne Smith and Company. 1908[10] Owned by Beaumont, Kennedy and Co
Radford	Timsbury	ST662580	?	?	6 0 (1.8)	1152 (351.1)	1906[10] Owned by Earl of Waldegrave
Upper Conygre	Timsbury	ST666589	1791	1916	8 0 (2.4)	1038 (316.4)	Merger of Upper and Lower pits. 1896[9] owned by Samborne Smith and Company. 1908[10] Owned by Beaumont, Kennedy and Co

[edit] East of Camerton

In this area the coal is buried beneath newer strata, which meant that mining in the area was difficult.

The dominant features of the Cam and Wellow Brooks are the remnants of the coal mining industry from the 18th-20th centuries. In both valleys there are frequent shafts and batches together with the remains of the railway and tram lines that connected the mines to the Avon Valley. Remains of the Somersetshire Coal Canal are also significant reminders of this coal mining history in this area.^[16]

[edit] The pits

Colliery	Location	Grid Ref[A]	Opened	Closed	Shaft diameter ft in (m)[6]	Max shaft depth ft (m)[6]	Notes
Bengrove (also called Priston Old and Dunkerton)	between Camerton and Tunley	ST690584	1764	c1774	?	506 (154.2)
Dunkerton	Dunkerton	ST716594	1904	1925 [6]1933[8]	10 (3)	1651 (503.2)	Poor working conditions led to riots in 1908-9
Hills (also known as Priston or Dunkerton New)	Tunley	ST686592	1792	1824	?	?
Priston (also known as Tunley)	Tunley	ST693605	1914	1930[8]	8 (2.4)	750 (228.6)	last deep mine to be opened in Somerset.

[edit] Farrington Gurney

Mining in the area around Farrington Gurney has been undertaken since approximately 1780, with several pits at that time all being called Farrington Colliery.

The main geological feature in this area south of Hallatrow consists of Supra-Pennant Measures which includes the upper coal measures and outcrops of sandstone. The relics of the industrial past are very evident within the area, including the widely visible and distinct conical shape of the Old Mills batch with its generally unvegetated surface. The three disused collieries in the area have subsequently been developed for light industry, a depot and a superstore.^[17]

[edit] The pits

Colliery	Location	Grid Ref[A]	Opened	Closed	Shaft diameter ft in (m)[6]	Max shaft depth ft (m)[6]	Notes
Church Field (also known as Farrington of Ruett Slant)	Farrington Gurney	ST636559	1921	1923	?	?	Drift Mine transferred to Marsh Lane
Farrington	Farrington Gurney	ST636559	1782	1923[8]	9 (2.7)	588 (179.2)
Marsh Lane	Farrington Gurney	ST636551	1924	1955	?	?	visited by the Prince of Wales on 7th July 1934
Old Mills	Midsomer Norton	ST649549	1860	1966	11 (3.4)	1098 (334.7)	Merged with Springfield
Springfield	Midsomer Norton	ST649549	1872	1966	9 6 (2.9)	965 (294.1)	Merged with Old Mills. Owned by W Evans and Co. [10]

[edit] The Duchy Mines

The Duchy of Cornwall owned most of the mineral rights around Midsomer Norton and various small pits opened around 1750 to exploit these.

[edit] The pits

Colliery	Location	Grid Ref[A]	Opened	Closed	Shaft diameter ft in (m)[6]	Max shaft depth ft (m)[6]	Notes
Clandown	Clandown	ST682560	1811	1929	6 (1.8)	1437 (438)	1896 owned by Trustees of the late C. Hollwey[9] 1908 Owned by Clansdown Colliery Co [14]
Old Welton	Midsomer Norton	ST679536	1783	1896	4 6 (1.4)	1646 (501.7)	Merged with Clandown. 1896[9] owned by Old Welton Colliery Co. 1908 [14] Owned by Clansdown Colliery Co
Welton Hill	Midsomer Norton	ST668554	1813	1896	6 (1.8)	605 (184.4)

[edit] Earl Waldegrave's Radstock Collieries

In 1763 coal was discovered in Radstock and mining began in the area.^[18]

The Waldegrave family had been Lords of the Manor of Radstock since the English Civil War. In 1896 the pits were owned by the Trustee of Frances, late Countess of Waldegrave.^[9]

Radstock was the terminus for the southern branch of the Somerset Coal Canal, which was turned into a tramway. It then became a central point for railway development with large coal depots, wah houses, workshops and a gas works. As part of the development of the Wiltshire, Somerset and Weymouth Railway an 8 mile line from Radstock to Frome was built to carry the coal. In the 1870s the broad-gauge line was converted to standard gauge and connected to the Bristol and North Somerset Line connecting it to the Great Western Railway. The Radstock Railway Land comprises an area of approximately 8.8 hectares of land which has been subject to planning and development applications.^[15]

[edit] The pits

Colliery	Location	Grid Ref[A]	Opened	Closed	Shaft diameter ft in (m)[6]	Max shaft depth ft (m)[6]	Notes
Ludlows	Radstock	ST694541	before 1850	1954	8	1686
Middle Pit	Radstock	ST686551	before 1801	1933	10 (3)	1791 (545.9)
Old Pit	Radstock	ST686551	before 1800	1858	6 (1.8)	942 (287.1)
Smallcombe	Radstock	ST685553	1797	1854	7 (2.1)	1074 (327.4)
Tyning	Radstock	ST699549	1837	1909	8 (2.4)	1007 (306.9)
Wellsway	Radstock	ST657522	1829	1920	4 6 (1.4)	754 (229.8)

[edit] Writhlington Collieries

Although these collieries were close to the Waldegrave collieries, they were further east of Radstock and under different ownership.

In 1896 ^[9] they were owned by Writhlington, Huish and Foxcote Colliery Co., and by 1908^[10] this had been changed to Writhlington Collieries Co. Ltd. The Upper and Lower Writhlington, Huish & Foxcote were all merged into one colliery.

The spoil heap is a now a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) because of the rich collection of fossils in the spoil heap^[19] - see Writhlington SSSI.

The base of the Kilmersdon valley is of alluvium deposits. Above this on both sides of all of the valleys is a band of shales and clays from the Penarth Group. These rocks are from the Triassic period. The majority of the remaining upland in this area is Lias Limestone (white and blue) while the very highest part above 130m, south of Haydon, is a small outcrop of Inferior Oolitic Limestone. All these limestones are from the Jurassic period. The steepest slopes of both the Kilmersdon and Snail’s Bottom valleys have frequently slipped. Below all of the area is the coal bearing Carboniferous strata. Haydon is an outlier of Radstock and was built to house the miners for the local pit. The disused railway line and inclined railway at Haydon form important elements within the Kilmersdon valley east of Haydon. The modern landscape has a less maintained and ‘rougher’ character and texture than neighbouring agricultural areas. This is caused in the main by the remnants of the coal industry and its infrastructure and changes in agricultural management. The disturbance caused by coal mining and the railways and the subsequent ending of mining and disuse of the railways has created valuable habitats of nature conservation interest.^[20]

[edit] The pits

Colliery	Location	Grid Ref[A]	Opened	Closed	Shaft diameter ft in (m)[6]	Max shaft depth ft (m)[6]	Notes
Braysdown	Peasedown St John	ST704569	1845[21]	1959	10 (3)	1834 (559)	1896 owned by Danbeny and Scobel [9] 1908 Owned by Braysdown Colliery Co.[10]
Foxcote	Foxcote	ST716556	1853	1931	9 (2.7)	1416 (431.6)	1896[9] owned by Writhlington, Huish and Foxcote Colliery Co.,
Huish	Kilmersdon	ST706521	1822	1912	8 (2.4)	570 (173.7)	1896[9] owned by Writhlington, Huish and Foxcote Colliery Co.,
Kilmersdon	Kilmersdon	ST696515	1875	1972[22]	10 6 (3.2)	1582 (482.2)	1896[9] & 1908[10] owned by Kilmersdon Colliery Co.
Lower Writhlington	Writhlington	ST704551	1829		10 (3)	1461 (445.3)
Shoscombe	Shoscombe	ST712564	c1828	by 1860	10 7 (3.2)	360 (109.7)
Woodborough (also known as Wodborough Old Pit)	east of Radstock	ST697564	?	1840s	5 3 (1.6)	426 (129.8)
Upper Writhligton	Radstock	ST699549	1805	1972[22]	11 3 (3.4)	942 (287.1)

[edit] Norton Hill Collieries

The Norton Hill collieries at Midsomer Norton were owned by the Beauchamp family who owned many of the other collieries and related works on the Somerset coalfield at various times. They were also known as the Beauchamp goldmines as they were the most productive mines in the whole coalfield.

[edit] The pits

Colliery	Location	Grid Ref[A]	Opened	Closed	Shaft diameter ft in (m)[6]	Max shaft depth ft (m)[6]	Notes
Norton Hill New	Midsomer Norton	ST665535	about 1900	1966	13 6	1503
Norton Hill Old	Midsomer Norton	ST665535	before 1839		4 6	1247	In 1908 10 men were killed in a major coal dust explosion.

[edit] Nettlebridge Valley

There were many hundreds of small coal workings in the area from Gurney Slade east to Mells including the villages of Holcombe, Coleford and Stratton on the Fosse. These operated from about the 13th century, making them the earliest coal mines known in Somerset, until the early 19th.^[23]

[edit] The pits

Colliery	Location	Grid Ref[A]	Opened	Closed	Shaft diameter ft in (m)[6]	Max shaft depth ft (m)[6]	Notes
Barlake	Nettlebridge	ST650484	before 1819	1870	5 6 (1.7)	435 (132.6)
Bilboa	Mells	ST711500	?	?	?	240 (73.2)
Breach	Vobster	ST698489	1860	c1880	?	867 (264.2)
Charmborough	Holcombe	ST688516	1932	1947	?	?
Coal Barton	Coleford	ST680500	?	?	?	?	Scene of a firedamp explosion which killed nine miners in 1869[15]
Edford	Holcombe	ST670490	1850s	1915	6 (1.8)	798 (243.2)
Holcombe	Holcombe	ST670490	1914	1923	?	?
Luckington	Coleford	ST695506	?	?	6 (1.8)	135 (41.4)
Mackintosh	Coleford	ST696498	1867[15]	1919[15]	8 5 (2.6)	1620 (493.8)	Merged with Newbury. 1896[9] owned by Westbury Iron Co. Ltd.,
Mells	Mells	ST713511	1860s[15] till 1880s	reopened 1909 till 1943[15]	9 (2.7)	540 (164.6)
Morewood Old	Nettlebridge	ST642495	before 1824	1860s	4 6 (1.4)	1247 (380)
Morewood New	Nettlebridge	ST642495	1860s	1932	9 (2.7)	888 (26.8)
Nettlebridge	Nettlebridge	ST650484	before 1831	?	6 (1.8)	705 (214.9)
Newbury	Coleford	ST695506	1790	1927[8][15]	9 (2.7)	720 (219.4)	Merged with Mackintosh. 1896[9] owned by Westbury Iron Co. Ltd., 1908[10] Owned by John Wainwright and Co. Ltd.
New Rock	Stratton-on-the-Fosse	ST649506	1819	1968	4 6 (1.4)	1182 (360.3)
Old Newbury	Coleford	ST695506	c1710	1790s	?	250 (76.2)
Old Rock	Nettlebridge	ST649495	1786	1873	4 6 (1.4)	711 (216.7)
Pitcot	Nettlebridge	ST656494	before 1750	c1820s	5 (1.5)	555 (169.2)
Strap (also known as Mendip or Downside Colliery)	Nettlebridge	ST646492	1862	1879	10 6 (3.2)	1838 (560.2)	Deepest shaft on the Somerset coalfield.
Sweetleaze	Nettlebridge	ST646492	before 1858	1879	?	?
Vobster	Vobster	ST705491	before 1850s	1874 [15]	10 (3)	990 (301.8)

[edit] Transportation

The coal was transported by the Somerset Coal Canal and later by the Bristol and North Somerset Railway and Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway, which were reached from the pits by a series of tramways.

[edit] Output

Tonnage increased throughout the nineteenth century, reaching a peak around 1901, when there were 79 separate collieries and annual production was 1,250,000 tons per annum.^[24]

[edit] Decline and closure

The peak years were 1900 to 1920. However the decline soon took hold and the number of pits reduced from 30 at the beginning of the twentieth century to 14 by the mid-thirties, 12 at nationalisation to create British Coal on 1st January 1947, 5 by 1959 and none after 1973.^[25] Narrow seams made production expensive, limiting profit and investment, and a reduced national demand together with competition from more economical coalfields^[26] led to the closure of the last two pits in the coalfield, Kilmersdon and Writhlington, in September 1973.^[27]

[edit] Area today

Although there are still the remains of some of the mines, in the form of disused or redeveloped buildings and a few slag heaps, most of which have been removed or landscaped, the area has returned to a largely rural nature between the Mendip Hills and the river Avon in north east Somerset. Many of the towns and villages have some light industry but are often commuter towns for Bath and Bristol. There is still some quarrying for Limestone particularly in the Mendips.

The Colliers Way (NCN24) is a national cycle route which passes many of the landmarks associated with the coal field,^[28] and other local roads and footpaths follow the tramways developed during the coal mining years.

[edit] References

1. ^ A Brief History of the Bristol and Somerset Coalfield. The Mines of the Bristol and Somerset Coalfield. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.
2. ^ Coysh, A.W.; E.J. Mason & V. Waite (1977). The Mendips. London: Robert Hale Ltd. ISBN 0709164262. 
3. ^ Mining. High Littleton & Hallatrow History and Parish Records. Retrieved on 2006-11-12.
4. ^ Coal Mining. Somerset Ramblers. Retrieved on 2006-11-12.
5. ^ Somerset Prospect. Department of Trade and Industry. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.
6. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab} Down, C.G.; A. J. Warrington (2005). The history of the Somerset coalfield. Radstock: Radstock Museum. ISBN 0-9551684-0-6. 
7. ^ Durham, I. & M. (1991). Chew Magna and the Chew Valley in old photographs. Redcliffe Press. ISBN 1-872971-61-X. 
8. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} Colliery lists. The Mines of the Bristol and Somerset Coalfield. Retrieved on 2006-11-12.
9. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o} Peak District Mines Historical Society Ltd. Retrieved on 2006-11-12.
10. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l} List of Mines in Great Britain and the Isle of Man, 1908. Coal Mining Resource Centre. Retrieved on 2006-11-12.
11. ^ ^{a b c d e} Clutton’s Mines. Clutton Village Web site. Retrieved on 2006-11-14.
12. ^ Paulton conservation area character appraisal. Bath and North East Somerset Planning. Retrieved on 2006-12-10.
13. ^ Rural Landscapes - Area 6 Hinton Blewett and Newton St Loe Plateau Lands. Bath and North East Somerset Council. Retrieved on 2006-12-10.
14. ^ ^{a b c} Camerton. Flickr. Retrieved on 2006-11-12.
15. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i} Coal Mining. Somerset Ramblers. Retrieved on 2006-11-12.
16. ^ Area 12 Cam and Wellow Brook Valleys. BANES Rural Landscapes. Retrieved on 2006-10-09.
17. ^ Rural Landscapes - Area 8 Farrington Gurney Farmlands. Bath and North East Somerset Council. Retrieved on 2006-12-10.
18. ^ Clew, Kenneth R. (1970). The Somersetshire Coal Canal and Railways. Newton Abbot: David and Charles. ISBN 0-7153-4792-6. 
19. ^ Writhlington SSSI, Somerset. English Nature. Retrieved on 2006-11-14.
20. ^ Rural Areas - Area 15 Norton Radstock Southern Farmlands. Bath and North East Somerset Council. Retrieved on 2006-12-10.
21. ^ History. Parish of Peasedown St John Parish Design Statement. Retrieved on 2006-11-14.
22. ^ ^{a b} Mining and Ores. History of East Harptree. Retrieved on 2006-11-12.
23. ^ Medieval Somerset. Somerset County Council. Retrieved on 2006-12-10.
24. ^ Radstock's coal mining history. This is Wiltshire. Retrieved on 2006-11-12.
25. ^ Coal Mining. Somerset Ramblers. Retrieved on 2006-11-12.
26. ^ North Somerset Heritage Trust. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.
27. ^ A Brief History of the Bristol and Somerset Coalfield. The Mines of the Bristol and Somerset Coalfield. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.
28. ^ The Colliers Way (NCN24). BANES cycling. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.

[edit] Bibliography

• Allsop, Niall (1993). The Somersetshire Coal Canal Rediscovered: A Walker's Guide. Bath: Millstream Books. ISBN 0-948975-35-0. 
• Clew, Kenneth R (1970). The Somersetshire Coal Canal and Railways. Bran's Head Books. ISBN 0-905220-67-6. 
• Cornwell, John (2005). Collieries of Somerset and Bristol. Landmark Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-84306-170-8. 
• Halse, Roger; Simon Castens (2000). The Somersetshire Coal Canal: A Pictorial Journey. Bath: Millstream Books. ISBN 0-948975-58-X. 
• Handley, Chris (2006). Transport & Industrial Development in the Somerset Coalfield. Radstock: Radstock, Midsomer Norton and District Museum Society. 

[edit] Notes

^A Grid reference is based on the British national grid reference system, also known as OSGB36, and is the system used by the Ordnance Survey.^[1]