MineArchiveAsfordby Colliery
| Location | Asfordby, near Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, Leicestershire — 52.7742, -0.9257 (approximate) |
|---|---|
| Commodity | Coal |
| Type | Coal |
| Worked | 1991–1997 |
| Maximum depth | Over 1,500 ft (460 m) |
| Operators | British Coal Corporation (1987–1994), RJB Mining (1994–1997) |
| Status | Researched |
Overview
Asfordby Colliery, the last deep coal mine sunk in England, closed after only six years when geological problems and a catastrophic 1997 flood overwhelmed a £340 million investment -- described afterwards as the least successful coal mine ever conceived.
History
Asfordby Colliery was sunk from 1987 near the village of Asfordby, close to Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, as the last deep coal mine to be sunk in England, its two shafts exceeding 1,500 feet (460 metres) in depth. Development was funded by British Coal, which invested over £300 million, and the mine began raising coal in 1991, with an estimated 500 million tonnes of coal thought to remain mineable in the surrounding coalfield. Ownership passed to RJB Mining in 1994 following British Coal's break-up at privatisation, RJB investing a further £40 million. The mine never achieved its expected productive capacity: unexpected pressure from volcanic sills lying above the coal seams caused persistent geological problems, and in August 1997 a massive flood and rockfall destroyed some £6 million of underground equipment, precipitating the mine's closure after only six years of production. At its peak the colliery employed 490 people. The winding towers were demolished in 1998, and the site was redeveloped as a business park; since 2007 it has hosted a railway test centre with an adjacent 14-mile test track.
Workings
Worked via two shafts exceeding 1,500 feet deep, sunk from 1987 into a coalfield estimated to hold some 500 million tonnes of mineable coal; production was persistently disrupted by unexpected geological pressure from volcanic sills overlying the coal seams.
Closure
A massive flood and rockfall in August 1997 destroyed around £6 million of underground equipment, ending production after only six years; the mine has been described as the least successful coal mine ever conceived.
What remains
The winding towers were demolished in 1998. The site was redeveloped as a business park and, since 2007, has hosted a railway test centre with an adjoining 14-mile test track.
Redevelopment
Business park; since 2007, a railway test centre with a 14-mile test track. Proposals have also included a wind farm and an anaerobic digestion plant.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- Persistent geological problems from volcanic sills overlying the coal seams restricted productive capacity throughout the mine's life; a massive flood and rockfall in August 1997 destroyed around £6 million of equipment, ending production after only six years. 1
- The mine's two shafts exceeded 1,500 feet (460 metres) in depth, sunk into a coalfield estimated to hold some 500 million tonnes of mineable coal; at its peak the colliery employed 490 people. 1,2
Photographs & further reading
A fuller account of the mine's short, troubled operating history and the 1997 flood that ended it.
View sourceSources
- (secondary) Asfordby Colliery — Wikipedia
- (secondary) Asfordby — Wikipedia
Record created: 2 September 2026 · Last researched: 2 September 2026