Hanham Colliery

Overview

A Bristol coalfield colliery on the banks of the River Avon, built on the site of a former brass works and worked from 1906 to 1926, moving its coal exclusively by river barge.

History

Hanham Colliery was sunk on the banks of the River Avon on the site of the former Hanham Spelter Works, a brass-manufacturing operation, its own shafts reaching 900 feet deep. It was owned, alongside Dean Lane, Easton, Pennywell Road and Whitehall collieries, by Bristol United Collieries. Underground, its workings extended as far as Regent Street, Kingswood, to the north and roughly to Court Road to the east. Unlike most of the district's pits, Hanham was never connected to any railway; instead it relied on extensive waterside facilities for loading coal directly onto barges on the Avon. Falling coal prices in the 1920s, after the exceptional wartime demand of the Royal Navy receded, made the pit uneconomic, and it closed in 1926.

Workings

Worked from a 900-foot shaft, extending underground roughly as far as Regent Street, Kingswood; coal was moved exclusively by barge from waterside loading facilities on the Avon, since the colliery was never connected to the rail network.

Closure

Closed in 1926 as coal prices fell sharply after wartime naval demand ended.

What remains

A powder magazine and a winding engine house survive on Memorial Road, Hanham; the latter later served as part of a Bristol Diecasting Ltd factory before being listed and restored. The spoil heap on the Avon's north bank also survives.

A powder magazine and a restored, listed winding engine house on Memorial Road, plus the spoil heap on the north bank of the River Avon.

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.

Recorded claims

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

• Hanham Colliery was sunk on the site of the former Hanham Spelter Works on the banks of the River Avon, its shafts reaching 900 feet deep, and was owned by Bristol United Collieries alongside its Dean Lane, Easton, Pennywell Road and Whitehall pits. ^1,2
• Never connected to the rail network, Hanham moved its coal exclusively by barge from waterside facilities on the Avon; it closed in 1926 as coal prices fell after the end of exceptional wartime naval demand. ²
• A powder magazine and a winding engine house survive on Memorial Road, Hanham, the latter listed and restored after later use as part of a Bristol Diecasting Ltd factory. ²

Sources

1. (secondary) Bedminster, Easton, Kingswood and Parkfield Collieries — Grace's Guide
2. (secondary) Hanham Colliery — Graces Guide

Record created: 31 August 2026 · Last researched: 31 August 2026