Kingshill No. 3 Colliery

Overview

Kingshill No. 3, sunk between 1946 and 1951 just south-east of Allanton, was the first major colliery shaft sunk anywhere in Scotland by the newly nationalised National Coal Board — a state-of-the-art concrete-lined shaft built to give the older Kingshill workings a faster second route to the surface.

History

The Kingshill group of collieries began with No. 1, sunk south of Allanton between 1919 and 1924 by the Coltness Iron Company, and No. 2, sunk in 1931. Kingshill No. 3 followed between 1946 and 1951, sunk by the newly nationalised National Coal Board as its first major shaft-sinking anywhere in Scotland — a concrete-lined shaft 234m deep and 4.57m in diameter, designed to wind 1,200 tons of coal per shift on an electric 550-horsepower winder with a 'bi-cylindro' drum. It was connected underground to the older No. 1 workings by a double-track, cable-operated narrow-gauge line, giving the combined group a second, faster winding route and joining coal brought up at both shafts. No. 1 closed in 1968 but continued in use afterward purely as a second shaft and ventilation route for No. 3's own continued working. No. 3 itself wound coal until 1974, when rail service to the group's washery ceased, and the whole Kingshill group — Nos. 1 and 3 together — was formally abandoned in 1975.

Geology

The mine worked Carboniferous Coal Measures of the Lanarkshire Coalfield, connected underground to the earlier Kingshill No. 1 and No. 2 workings nearby.

Geological setting: Sedimentary Beds and Seams (well documented example)

Workings

The shaft was concrete-lined, 234m deep and 4.57m in diameter, designed to wind 1,200 tons of coal per shift on an electric 550-horsepower winder with a 'bi-cylindro' drum; a double-track cable-operated narrow-gauge line connected it underground to the older Kingshill No. 1 workings.

Closure

No. 3 wound coal until 1974, when rail service to the group's washery ceased; the whole Kingshill group was formally abandoned in 1975.

What remains

No specific surface remains for Kingshill No. 3 itself have been confirmed in the sources checked. The associated No. 1 site, in the village of Allanton to the north, is now a North Lanarkshire Council local nature reserve — its land considered unsuitable for redevelopment given both mining damage and its position on peat bog — but that reserve sits on the No. 1 site specifically, not No. 3's.

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.

• Kingshill No. 3 was sunk between 1946 and 1951, the National Coal Board's first major colliery shaft-sinking anywhere in Scotland; it joined the earlier Kingshill No. 1 (sunk 1919-24 by the Coltness Iron Company) and No. 2 (sunk 1931). ¹
• The shaft was concrete-lined, 234m deep and 4.57m in diameter, designed to wind 1,200 tons of coal per shift on an electric 550-horsepower winder with a 'bi-cylindro' drum, connected underground to No. 1's workings by a double-track cable-operated narrow-gauge line. ²
• No. 1 closed in 1968 but was retained as a second shaft and ventilation route for No. 3; No. 3 itself wound coal until 1974, and the whole Kingshill group was formally abandoned in 1975. ¹

Photographs & further reading

This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this mine.

Sources

1. (secondary) Kingshill Local Nature Reserve (Kingshill Road, Allanton) — Datathistle
2. (secondary) Kingshill Colliery Pit No 1 — RAILSCOT

Record created: 27 August 2026 · Last researched: 28 August 2026