MineArchiveEllenbank Colliery
| Location | Birkby, near Maryport, Cumbria — 54.7251, -3.4556 (approximate) |
|---|---|
| Commodity | Coal |
| Type | Coal |
| Worked | 1944 (development)–6 August 1952 |
| Maximum depth | Unknown. |
| Operators | Robert Moffatt & Sons (1944–1946), National Coal Board (1947–1952) |
Overview
A small wartime mine at Birkby, near Maryport, opened by Robert Moffatt and Sons in 1944-45 and worked by the National Coal Board until August 1952 with about thirty men.
History
Ellenbank Colliery was a small mine at Birkby, near Maryport, opened by Robert Moffatt and Sons during the Second World War. It was being developed in 1944 with six men and was in production by March 1945, when 22 people worked there, 14 of them underground.
The National Coal Board took it over at nationalisation in 1947. It employed about 25 in 1948 and 29 or 30 from 1950 to 1952, raising household, steam and gas coal. It worked the Six Quarters seam at first and then the Upper and Lower Three Quarters.
The colliery closed in 1952; its plan of the Lower Three Quarter or Six Quarter workings records abandonment on 6 August 1952.
Geology
The Six Quarters and the Upper and Lower Three Quarters seams of the West Cumberland coalfield.
Workings
Worked the Six Quarters seam and then the Upper and Lower Three Quarters, with about 23 men underground.
Closure
Closed in 1952; the Lower Three Quarter or Six Quarter workings were abandoned on 6 August 1952.
What remains
Unknown.
Redevelopment
Unknown.
Nearby mines
- Dearham Colliery — 0.8 miles (1.3 km) S
- Bullgill Colliery — 2.1 miles (3.3 km) E
- Flimby Colliery — 2.9 miles (4.6 km) SW
- Risehow Colliery — 3.0 miles (4.8 km) SW
- Gillhead Colliery — 3.6 miles (5.8 km) SW
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.
- Being developed in 1944 with six men. 1
- In production from March 1945 at Birkby. 2
- Employed 30 people in 1950, 23 of them underground. 1
- Worked the Upper and Lower Three Quarters seams in 1949-52. 1
- Closed in 1952; the Lower Three Quarter or Six Quarter workings were abandoned on 6 August 1952. 2,1,3
Photographs & further reading
Owners, employment and seams year by year.
View sourceSources
- (primary) Ellenbank Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
- (secondary) NCB Collieries - England (Northern Mine Research Society) — Northern Mine Research Society
- (primary) Ellenbank Mine Plans (Mining Remediation Authority plan NC8, Lower Three Quarter or Six Quarter, abandoned 6 August 1952) — British Geological Survey / Mining Remediation Authority
Record created: 9 October 2026 · Last researched: 9 October 2026