Daw Mill Colliery

Overview

Once Britain's biggest coal producer, Daw Mill was the only new colliery sunk in Warwickshire after nationalisation, and ended its life in 2013 in the worst underground fire Britain had seen in thirty years.

History

Site work at Daw Mill, near Arley in Warwickshire, began in 1956, and by late 1958 it had been decided to develop it as a new colliery rather than simply an extension of existing workings — the only wholly new colliery sunk in Warwickshire after nationalisation. The shaft was completed in 1959 to a depth of 1,770 feet. Daw Mill went on to become Britain's biggest coal producer, setting a new annual output record of 3.25 million tonnes in 2008, surpassing the record previously held by Selby Colliery in North Yorkshire, and directly employed around 570 people at UK Coal. On 22 February 2013 a serious underground fire broke out, caused by spontaneous combustion within a worked coal seam; it was described as the worst underground blaze in Britain for thirty years. Around 100 workers were evacuated from the mine, with 14 men staying behind for roughly four hours in an attempt to contain the blaze before being forced to withdraw; all 92 workers below ground at the time were safely brought to the surface. The fire could not be extinguished, and on 7 March 2013 UK Coal announced the colliery's permanent closure, with the loss of some 650 jobs; the damage and its financial consequences tipped UK Coal Operations Ltd into administration that July. The closure was significant enough to be debated twice in the House of Commons, in March and April 2013.

Geology

Daw Mill worked coal seams of the Warwickshire coalfield.

Workings

Coal was raised via a single shaft completed in 1959 to a depth of 1,770 feet, developed into one of Britain's largest and most productive individual coal mines by the 2000s.

Closure

UK Coal announced Daw Mill's permanent closure on 7 March 2013 following the underground fire, with the loss of around 650 jobs; the resulting financial damage helped tip UK Coal Operations Ltd into administration that July.

What remains

The colliery has been almost entirely demolished, leaving only foundations, a ruined building and former railway sidings.

Foundations, a ruined former colliery building and disused railway sidings are all that remain of the site.

Abandoned workings can be dangerous — unstable ground, uncapped shafts, flooding and bad air are common even where a site looks safe from the surface. This entry describes history and general location only; it is not an access guide.

Disasters & major incidents

• Daw Mill Colliery fire, 2013
  22 February 2013 · Fire · 0 fatalities
  An underground fire caused by spontaneous combustion broke out at Daw Mill Colliery, Britain's biggest coal producer, described as the worst underground blaze in the UK for thirty years; all 92 workers underground were safely evacuated, but the fire could not be extinguished and led directly to the mine's permanent closure and UK Coal's collapse into administration.

Recorded claims

Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.

• Site work at Daw Mill began in 1956, with the shaft completed in 1959 to a depth of 1,770 feet; it was the only wholly new colliery sunk in Warwickshire after nationalisation. ^1,2
• Daw Mill set a new British annual output record of 3.25 million tonnes in 2008, surpassing the previous record held by Selby Colliery, and became Britain's biggest coal producer. ¹
• An underground fire caused by spontaneous combustion broke out on 22 February 2013, described as the worst underground blaze in Britain for thirty years; around 100 workers were evacuated, with 14 remaining for roughly four hours trying to contain it before withdrawing, and all 92 men below ground at the time reached the surface safely. ^1,2
• UK Coal announced Daw Mill's permanent closure on 7 March 2013 after the fire could not be extinguished, with the loss of around 650 jobs; the company was forced into administration in July 2013. ^1,3

Photographs & further reading

This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this mine.

Images

Sources

1. (secondary) Daw Mill — Wikipedia
2. (secondary) Daw Mill Colliery — Our Warwickshire
3. (primary) Daw Mill Colliery Closure (Hansard, 11 March 2013) — UK Parliament (Hansard)

Record created: 21 August 2026 · Last researched: 21 August 2026