MineArchiveKirkwood Colliery
| Location | Kirkwood, west Coatbridge, by the Drumpellier estate, North Lanarkshire — 55.8475, -4.0647 (exact) |
|---|---|
| Commodity | Coal |
| Type | Coal |
| Worked | By 1884–1927 |
| Maximum depth | Unknown. |
| Operators | Summerlee Iron Company (1901–1901), United Collieries Limited (1903–1914) |
Overview
Numbered pits at Kirkwood, on the west side of Coatbridge by the Drumpellier estate, worked by the Summerlee and Mossend company and then United Collieries, and served by the Drumpeller Railway. Its Nos. 1 and 2 pits were stooping out old pillars by 1914; its last workings were abandoned in 1927.
History
Kirkwood Colliery lay at Kirkwood, on the west side of Coatbridge next to the Drumpellier estate, and its No. 3 pit was served by the Drumpeller Railway. Plans of Kirkwood Nos. 1, 2 and 4 in the Kiltongue, Lower Drumgray and Main coals were closed in 1884, and of the Kirkwood and Drumpellier estate workings in the Drumgray and Harry Barney coals in 1898.
In 1901 Nos. 1 and 2 pits belonged to the Summerlee and Mossend Iron and Steel Co., and by 1903 to United Collieries Ltd. Roof falls killed men at the face in 1901 and 1903, when the props were not set within the specified distance, and in 1914 a miner was killed while stooping coal, by a burst caused by the movement of the strata over the stooping.
The Splint and Main workings of Nos. 1 and 2 were abandoned in 1906, and the Virtuewell, Lower Drumgray and Ell in 1927.
Geology
The Kiltongue, Lower and Upper Drumgray, Harry Barney, Main, Splint, Virtuewell and Ell coals of the Monklands, worked latterly by stooping old pillars.
Workings
Pits Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4; No. 3 was served by the Drumpeller Railway.
Closure
The last abandonment plans, for the Virtuewell, Lower Drumgray and Ell, are dated 1927.
What remains
Unknown.
Redevelopment
Unknown.
Nearby mines
- Carnbroe Colliery — 1.0 miles (1.6 km) SE
- Calderbank Colliery — 1.7 miles (2.8 km) W, Glasgow
- Rosehall Colliery — 1.8 miles (2.9 km) SE
- Tannochside Colliery — 1.9 miles (3.1 km) SE
- Blantyreferme Colliery — 2.3 miles (3.7 km) SW, South Lanarkshire
Straight-line distance, within 9 miles (15 km). Show on the map.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- Kirkwood Nos. 1 and 2 pits belonged to the Summerlee and Mossend Iron and Steel Co. in 1901. 1
- Kirkwood No. 1 pit belonged to United Collieries Ltd in 1903 and 1914. 2,3
- In 1914 a miner stooping coal in No. 1 pit was killed by a burst caused by the movement of the strata. 3
- Kirkwood Colliery Pit No. 3 was served by the Drumpeller Railway. 4
- The Virtuewell workings at Kirkwood were abandoned in 1927. 5
- The Kiltongue, Lower Drumgray and Main workings of Kirkwood Nos. 1, 2 and 4 were abandoned in 1884. 6
Photographs & further reading
The railway from the Monkland Canal that served Kirkwood Colliery Pit No. 3 and the Bredisholm pits.
View sourceSources
- (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Kirkwood, Nos 1 & 2 Pits, 1901 — Northern Mine Research Society
- (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Kirkwood, No.1 Pit, 1903 — Northern Mine Research Society
- (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Kirkwood, No.1 Pit, 1914 — Northern Mine Research Society
- (secondary) RailScot: Drumpeller Railway — RailScot
- (primary) BGS / Mining Remediation Authority mine plan: Kirkwood, Virtuewell, abandoned 1927 — British Geological Survey
- (primary) BGS / Mining Remediation Authority mine plan: Kirkwood Nos. 1, 2 and 4, Kiltongue, Lower Drumgray, Main, abandoned 1884 — British Geological Survey
- (primary) BGS / Mining Remediation Authority mine plan: Kirkwood / Drumpellier estate, Upper and Lower Drumgray, Harry Barney coal, abandoned 1898 — British Geological Survey
- (primary) BGS / Mining Remediation Authority mine plan: Kirkwood Nos. 1 and 2, Splint, Main, abandoned 1906 — British Geological Survey
Record created: 13 October 2026 · Last researched: 13 October 2026