Kemberton Colliery

Overview

A long-lived Madeley Wood Company colliery, sunk in 1864 and struck by a fatal cage-rope failure in 1910, that remained one of Shropshire's last significant working pits until its closure in the late 1960s.

History

Kemberton Colliery was sunk in 1864 by the Madeley Wood Company, and by 1934 was one of only three significant collieries still working in the Shropshire coalfield. On the night of Sunday 4 December 1910, its winding rope -- recently recapped and found sound that same morning -- suddenly fractured as a cage descended the shaft, killing seven men and boys. An engineering investigation for the inquest found the rope could withstand 54.25 tons but would fail under the shock of even a short drop; the inquest also heard that the engineman had been unaware, before the accident, of the safety rule requiring the ropes to be run up and down after any four-hour break in working. The colliery continued working long after the disaster, and when the neighbouring Halesfield Pit's own coal-raising life ended in the late 1930s, Kemberton was re-equipped and reconstructed, drawing on Halesfield's shafts for ventilation. Kemberton finally closed in 1967 or 1968; workers who began their careers there went on to see out Shropshire coal mining altogether at Granville Colliery, the last pit in the county, which closed in 1979.

Geology

Coal of the Shropshire field; the seams worked are not recorded.

Workings

Worked via a shaft sunk in 1864, later ventilated in part via the neighbouring Halesfield Pit's shafts once Halesfield's own coal-raising life had ended.

Closure

Closed in 1967 or 1968, one of the last handful of working Shropshire collieries.

What remains

The colliery site lies under Halesfield industrial estate, developed from 1967.

Related mines

• Granville Colliery — Men from Kemberton saw out Shropshire coal mining at Granville, the county's last pit.
• Halesfield Pit — Halesfield's own shafts were repurposed to ventilate the neighbouring Kemberton once Halesfield's coal-raising life ended.

Disasters & major incidents

• Kemberton Colliery Pit Cage Disaster (1910)
  Sunday night, 4 December 1910 · Winding / Shaft Accident · 7 fatalities
  A winding rope that had been tested sound that same morning suddenly fractured during a descent at Kemberton Colliery, killing seven men and boys, three of them fourteen or younger.

Recorded claims

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

• Sunk in 1864 by the Madeley Wood Company, Kemberton remained one of only three significant working Shropshire collieries by 1934, and closed in 1967 or 1968, with workers moving on to Granville Colliery, the last Shropshire pit, which closed in 1979. ¹
• On the night of Sunday 4 December 1910, a fatal cage-rope failure at Kemberton killed seven men and boys; an engineering investigation found the recently recapped rope could withstand 54.25 tons but would fail under the shock of a short drop. ^2,3
• After its reconstruction the pit produced about 110,000 tons of coal a year, almost 17 per cent of Shropshire's output; its closure in 1967 ended underground mining at Madeley, and Halesfield industrial estate, developed from 1967, took in the colliery site. ¹
• The Mining Remediation Authority's abandonment plans for 'Madeley Wood or Kemberton or Halesfield' cover the Best and Randles, Top, Little Flint, Vigar, Clod and Top Coal seams, catalogued as WM366, WM369, WM372 and WM389 among others. ⁴

Sources

1. (primary) Madeley: Economic history — Victoria County History (British History Online)
2. (secondary) Kemberton Colliery Shaft Accident - Shifnal - 1901 — Northern Mine Research Society
3. (secondary) Shropshire, 1910 pit cage disaster ("What the Papers Said") — Shropshire Caving & Mining Club
4. (primary) Madeley Wood or Kemberton or Halesfield abandonment plans, WM389 (BGS mine plans catalogue) — British Geological Survey / Mining Remediation Authority

Record created: 31 August 2026 · Last researched: 24 September 2026