Hook Colliery

Overview

Hook Colliery, on the Western Cleddau estuary in Pembrokeshire, was the leading mine of the small, isolated Pembrokeshire Coalfield, producing anthracite prized for burning almost smokeless — including, reputedly, in Queen Victoria's own palaces. At its peak it shipped coal as far as Singapore and St Helena, mostly by sea from its own quay, before flooding finally beat its pumps in 1948.

History

Thomas Harcourt Powell opened Hook Colliery around 1849-1850, working it until the late 1860s; the mine passed through several hands before the Hook Colliery Co took over from 1875, running it for most of its working life. At its peak the colliery employed over 250 men and produced around 40,000 tons of anthracite a year. Until a rail link to the main line at Johnston was built in the early 1900s, almost all of Hook's coal left by sea from the colliery's own quay, reaching customers as far afield as Singapore and the South Atlantic island of St Helena. The colliery's smokeless anthracite was reputedly favoured by Queen Victoria and used in royal palaces. Nationalised in 1947 along with the rest of the industry, the colliery closed the following year after finally losing its long battle against flooding in the West Drift; a private attempt to reopen it in the 1950s, led by geologist T. W. Harcourt Roberts, did not succeed.

Geology

Hook worked anthracite seams of the small, geologically distinct Pembrokeshire Coalfield, mined close to the Western Cleddau estuary.

Workings

Workings included a West Drift, whose flooding ultimately could not be controlled by pumping and forced the colliery's closure.

Closure

The colliery closed in 1948, a year after nationalisation, once flooding in the West Drift finally overcame the pumps; a 1950s private attempt to reopen the mine was unsuccessful.

What remains

Little of the colliery survives visibly today beyond its general site on the Cleddau estuary; the Hook History Society preserves its history locally.

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.

• At its peak Hook Colliery employed over 250 men and produced around 40,000 tons of anthracite a year. ¹
• Anthracite from Hook was shipped as far as Singapore and St Helena, mostly by sea from the colliery's own quay until a rail link to Johnston was built in the early 1900s. ²
• Hook's smokeless anthracite was reputedly favoured by Queen Victoria and used in royal palaces. (uncertain) ³
• The colliery closed in 1948, a year after nationalisation, once flooding in the West Drift overcame its pumps. ¹

Sources

1. (secondary) Hook Colliery — welshcoalmines.co.uk
2. (secondary) Coal Was Sent all Over the World — Hook History Society
3. (secondary) Riverside Colliery with Royal Patronage — Hook History Society
4. (secondary) Pembrokeshire Coalfield — Wikipedia

Record created: 20 August 2026 · Last researched: 20 August 2026