Hall End Colliery, West Bromwich

Overview

A West Bromwich colliery of the Hall End Colliery Company working the fiery New Mine coal from January 1884; that September its face burst into flame at the night shift's naked candles, burning twelve men, seven of whom died.

History

Hall End Colliery was at West Bromwich, in the South Staffordshire coalfield. Its New Mine Coal seam, said to be the most fiery in the district and liable to give off large quantities of gas, had been worked since January 1884 by a day shift and a night shift. Its owners were the Hall End Colliery Company, and Edward Philips was certificated manager and part-owner. The ventilation was found satisfactory, no gas had been recorded in the seam, the inspector, Mr Scott, had once had the ventilation stopped for three hours without finding any, and the night overman or his deputy went round with a safety lamp before the men started.

On 28 August a fault was reached, and it was thought safe to work near it. On Saturday 6 September 1884 seventeen men went down for the night shift at 3 p.m. and worked by naked candles until about 4.30 the next morning, when the face was suddenly enveloped in flame. Twelve men were burned; seven died over the next fortnight in West Bromwich Hospital. There had been a great volume of flame but little violence. The inquest at West Bromwich Town Hall returned a verdict of accidental death, adding that the owners were culpable for not compelling the men to use safety lamps; the report on the inquiry urged that safety lamps be made compulsory in seams likely to give off gas.

Geology

The New Mine Coal seam of the South Staffordshire coalfield, fiery and liable to give off much gas; a fault was reached in August 1884.

Workings

Faces in the New Mine Coal worked in day and night shifts with naked candles; the officials examined the workings with a safety lamp before each shift.

Closure

Unknown.

What remains

Unknown.

Recorded claims

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

• Hall End worked the New Mine Coal seam, first worked in January 1884 and said to be the most fiery in the district. ¹
• The colliery belonged to the Hall End Colliery Company; Edward Philips was its certificated manager and part-owner. ^1,2
• On 6 September 1884 the face was enveloped in flame at the night shift's naked lights; twelve men were burned and seven died. ^1,2
• The ignition was attributed to a naked light, probably matches. ²
• The inquest jury found the owners culpable for not compelling the men to work with safety lamps. ¹

Photographs & further reading

Sources

1. (secondary) Hall End Colliery Fire, West Bromwich, 1884 (NMRS accidents and disasters) — Northern Mine Research Society
2. (primary) Colliery disaster, 6 September 1884: Hall End (Durham Mining Museum) — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 24 October 2026 · Last researched: 24 October 2026