MineArchiveFortacres Colliery
| Location | Near Symington, Dundonald parish, South Ayrshire — 55.5736, -4.5512 (exact) |
|---|---|
| Commodity | Coal |
| Type | Coal |
| Worked | 1924–January 1957 |
| Maximum depth | Two shafts, each 43 m (about 141 ft) deep. |
| Operators | Robert Semple & Co. (1924–1949), National Coal Board (1949–1957) |
Overview
A small Ayrshire colliery near Symington, sunk by Robert Semple & Company in 1924 with two 43-metre shafts and worked until 1957.
History
Fortacres Colliery lay near Symington, in Dundonald parish, Ayrshire. Robert Semple & Company sank it in 1924, with two shafts each 43 metres deep, and it raised steam and house coal by stoop and room working.
It stayed in the company's hands after nationalisation and passed to the National Coal Board only in 1949. A report of February that year records an output of 65 tons a day, about 17,250 tons a year, with 43 employees; it had bar screens but no washer, canteen or baths, and took its electricity from the public supply. The workforce averaged 88 and peaked at 109 in 1952.
Its abandonment plans were drawn jointly with those of the neighbouring Newfield Colliery and cover the Major, the Hurlford Main and Wee, the Tourha and McNaught, and the Five Quarter seams. Fortacres closed in January 1957 and was abandoned the same year.
Geology
Ayrshire coal measures: the Major, Hurlford Main and Wee, Tourha and McNaught, and Five Quarter seams, worked for steam and house coal.
Workings
Two shafts, each 43 m deep, worked by stoop and room; bar screens at the surface, no washer.
Closure
Closed in January 1957 and abandoned the same year; plans shared with Newfield Colliery.
What remains
Unknown.
Related mines
- Newfield Colliery — Their abandonment plans were drawn jointly, as Fortacres and Newfield, in 1954 and 1957.
Nearby mines
- Newfield Colliery — 0.3 miles (0.5 km) N
- Fairlie Colliery — 0.5 miles (0.8 km) NE, East Ayrshire
- Caprington Colliery — 1.6 miles (2.6 km) NE, East Ayrshire
- Annandale Colliery — 2.4 miles (3.9 km) N, East Ayrshire
- Busbiehead Colliery — 3.5 miles (5.6 km) N, East Ayrshire
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.
- Robert Semple & Company sank Fortacres in 1924 with two shafts each 43 metres deep. 1,2
- The colliery was transferred to the National Coal Board in 1949. 2
- In 1949 it raised 65 tons a day, about 17,250 tons a year, by stoop and room working with 43 employees. 2
- Its plans, shared with Newfield Colliery, cover the Major, Hurlford Main and Wee, Tourha and McNaught, and Five Quarter seams, abandoned in 1957. 3,4
- Fortacres closed in January 1957. 1,2
Sources
- (secondary) NCB Collieries - Scotland (Northern Mine Research Society) — Northern Mine Research Society
- (primary) Fortacres (NRHE 130658, NS33SE 33) — Historic Environment Scotland (Canmore)
- (primary) BGS mine plan: FORTACRES & NEWFIELD, Major, abandoned 1957 — British Geological Survey / Mining Remediation Authority
- (primary) BGS mine plan: FORTACRES & NEWFIELD, Hurlford Main and Wee, abandoned 1957 — British Geological Survey / Mining Remediation Authority
Record created: 24 October 2026 · Last researched: 24 October 2026