Mining

There is no strong evidence for coal mining across East Shropshire before the 13th century.

By 1250, Philip de Benthall had granted the monks of Buildwas Abbey rights to pass over his land carrying coal and ironstone. By the early 14th century, Wenlock Priory was mining for coal at Brockholes near Madeley.

Mining across the region was widespread by the 16th century. By the 17th century Coalbrookdale had become the second most productive mining area in Britain. The coal was used as fuel to power the steam engines and furnaces of Shropshire and beyond in the production of iron, brick and tile. A large amount of coal was also exported.

During the 18th century large mining companies were formed. The Coalbrookdale, Lilleshall and Madeley Wood Companies were all a product of this period of industrial expansion. Coal production in the area peaked in 1871 when the production reached 1,000,000 tonnes.

Mining creates vast amounts of waste material. Finding this waste may point to former areas of mining. Although, often spoil heaps are the by-product of iron-working. There may be little evidence for early mining as the underground workings were small and so created little spoil.

Other evidence for mining is scanty. There are a few surviving colliery buildings. Some have been converted to houses such as the engine house at the Tuckies mine, near Jackfield. Others lie in a derelict state or are preserved as part of a museum or landscape feature, such as at Blists Hill Victorian Town and Granville Country Park in Telford.

Other signs of the areas mining past can be seen today. Old winding chains are often used as boundary markers for fields and gardens. Field names may also be used to point to the former site of a mine. Field names such as 'Pit Mount', 'Miners Meadow', 'Spoil Banks', 'Mine Coppice' and 'Mount Croft' still survive today.

However, we must be careful when using field names. For example you may think 'Coalbrookdale', seen in the watercolour here, had something to do with the mining industry. But the 'Coalbrook' prefix comes from 'Caldebrook', the name of the fast flowing brook that flows through the area and into to the River Severn.