MineArchiveCharmborough Colliery
| Location | Charmborough, near Holcombe, two miles south of Radstock, Somerset — 51.2632, -2.4478 (approximate) |
|---|---|
| Commodity | Coal |
| Type | Coal |
| Worked | 1932–August 1947 |
| Maximum depth | Unknown. |
| Operators | Charmborough Collieries Ltd (1932–1947), National Coal Board (1947–1947) |
Overview
A small colliery at Charmborough, near Holcombe, two miles south of Radstock, sunk in 1932 by Charmborough Collieries Ltd. It employed eighty men in 1940 and fifty under the National Coal Board, and was the first of the nationalised Somerset pits to close, in August 1947.
History
Charmborough Colliery, at Charmborough near Holcombe, two miles south of Radstock in the Somerset coalfield, was sunk from 1932. It was worked by Charmborough Collieries Ltd, which employed six in 1937 and eighty in 1940.
The colliery passed to the National Coal Board on nationalisation in 1947, when it had fifty men, 41 of them underground, and raised 8,000 tons of gas, household and steam coal. It closed in August 1947, the first of the Somerset pits to go in the closures of the following twenty years; the abandonment plans of its No. 1 and No. 2 workings are dated that year.
Geology
Somerset coalfield.
Workings
Workings designated No. 1 and No. 2 on the abandonment plans.
Closure
Closed in August 1947, the first of the nationalised Somerset collieries to close; the plans of its No. 1 and No. 2 workings were deposited that year.
What remains
Unknown.
Redevelopment
Unknown.
Nearby mines
- Kilmersdon Colliery — 0.6 miles (1.0 km) NE
- Newbury Colliery — 0.8 miles (1.2 km) SE
- Vobster Breach Colliery — 1.8 miles (2.9 km) S
- Norton Hill Colliery — 1.9 miles (3.0 km) NW
- Wellsways Colliery — 1.9 miles (3.1 km) W
Straight-line distance, within 9 miles (15 km). Show on the map.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- Charmborough, Holcombe, was worked from 1932 to 1947. 1
- Sinking began at Charmborough in 1932, and the colliery closed in August 1947. 2
- Charmborough Collieries Ltd employed 6 in 1937 and 80 in 1940; in 1947 the colliery had 50 employees and raised 8,000 tons. 3
- Charmborough, in 1947, was the first of the Somerset pits to close in the twenty years after nationalisation. 4
- Plans of the Charmborough No. 1 and No. 2 workings were deposited as abandoned in 1947. 5
Photographs & further reading
Owners, employment and output, 1937-1947.
View sourceSources
- (secondary) Somerset Coalfield — Wikipedia
- (secondary) NCB Collieries - England (Northern Mine Research Society) — Northern Mine Research Society
- (primary) Charmborough Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
- (secondary) Somerset Coal Mining – History! — Somer Valley Audio Trails
- (primary) BGS mine plan: Charmborough, No. 1 / No. 2, abandoned 1947 — BGS / Mining Remediation Authority mine plans
Record created: 5 October 2026 · Last researched: 5 October 2026