MineArchiveFarrington Colliery
| Also known as | Farrington Gurney Colliery |
|---|---|
| Location | Farrington Gurney, west of Radstock, Somerset — 51.2970, -2.5227 (exact) |
| Commodity | Coal |
| Type | Coal |
| Worked | About 1738–1923 |
| Maximum depth | Unknown. |
| Operators | Farrington Colliery Co. (?–1923) |
Overview
The colliery of Farrington Gurney on the Somerset coalfield, worked from about 1738 until 1923, which at its last employed over 300 in the Top, Middle and Bottom veins.
History
Farrington Colliery, also called Farrington Gurney Colliery, lay about three and a half miles west of Radstock in the village of Farrington Gurney, on the north-western side of the Somerset coalfield. Coal mining in the area went back to the seventeenth century, and the colliery itself operated from about 1738 until 1923.
In its last decades it belonged to the Farrington Colliery Company and worked the Top, Middle and Bottom veins for gas, household and steam coal. The workforce rose steadily, from 191 in 1894 to 245 in 1900, 301 in 1910 and 342 in 1923, the year the colliery closed. Its abandonment plans, drawn with upcast and downcast shafts, record workings in the Church Close seam, the Night vein and the 21-inch vein.
Geology
Somerset coalfield seams of the Farrington series: the Top, Middle and Bottom veins, with plans in the Church Close seam, the Night vein and the 21-inch vein.
Workings
An upcast and a downcast shaft.
Closure
Closed in 1923, still employing 342.
What remains
Unknown.
Nearby mines
- Old Mills Colliery — 0.9 miles (1.4 km) E
- Writhlington Colliery — 1.1 miles (1.7 km) E
- Greyfield Colliery — 2.1 miles (3.3 km) N
- Norton Hill Colliery — 2.1 miles (3.5 km) SE
- Burchells Colliery — 2.4 miles (3.8 km) N
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.
- Farrington Gurney Colliery operated from about 1738 until 1923. 1
- In its last decades it belonged to the Farrington Colliery Company and worked the Top, Middle and Bottom veins. 2
- It employed 191 people in 1894 and 342 in 1923. 2
- Its abandonment plans record workings in the Church Close seam, the Night vein and the 21-inch vein. 3
Photographs & further reading
The village article, which dates the colliery from about 1738 to 1923.
View sourceSources
- (secondary) Farrington Gurney (Wikipedia) — Wikipedia
- (primary) Farrington Colliery (Durham Mining Museum) — Durham Mining Museum
- (primary) BGS mine plan: FARRINGTON / UPCAST / DOWNCAST, Church Close seam — British Geological Survey / Mining Remediation Authority
Record created: 25 October 2026 · Last researched: 25 October 2026