MineArchiveLanchester Towneley Drift
| Location | Near Towneley, Lanchester, County Durham — 54.8089, -1.6958 (exact) |
|---|---|
| Commodity | Coal |
| Type | Coal |
| Worked | By 1951–August 1963 |
| Operators | National Coal Board (?–1963) — owner throughout its recorded life, listed 1951-1961 |
Overview
A National Coal Board drift near Lanchester that worked the Towneley seam for coking coal from at least 1951 until August 1963, employing up to 226 people.
History
Lanchester Towneley Drift was a National Coal Board mine near Towneley, about five and a half miles west-north-west of Durham. It first appears in the Colliery Guardian's Guide to the Coalfields for 1951, working the Towneley seam for coking coal, and it is listed every year to 1961 with the same seam and the same coal.
It started small, with 86 people in 1951 and 1952, 71 of them underground. By 1953 the workforce had grown to 205, and in 1955 and 1956 it reached 226, 196 below ground and 30 at the surface; from 1957 to 1961 it held at 222. The drift closed in August 1963. Abandonment plans of the Lanchester workings in the Towneley or Harvey seam are dated 31 March 1964.
Geology
The Towneley seam, worked for coking coal.
Workings
A drift into the Towneley seam.
Closure
Closed in August 1963; the reason is not recorded.
Nearby mines
- Langley Park Colliery — 0.9 miles (1.5 km) E
- Malton Colliery — 1.0 miles (1.6 km) W
- Hill Top Harvey Colliery — 1.2 miles (1.9 km) SE
- Burnhope Colliery — 1.4 miles (2.3 km) N
- Hamsteels Colliery — 2.0 miles (3.2 km) SW
Straight-line distance, within 9 miles (15 km). Show on the map.
What's uncertain
Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.
- The colliery dates from 1837. (uncertain) 2
- The Lanchester abandonment plans in the Towneley or Harvey seam are dated 31 March 1964. (uncertain) 3
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- The drift was a National Coal Board mine working the Towneley seam for coking coal. 1
- In 1955 and 1956 it employed 226 people, 196 underground and 30 at the surface. 1
- The drift closed in August 1963. 2,1
- The colliery dates from 1837. (uncertain) 2
- The Lanchester abandonment plans in the Towneley or Harvey seam are dated 31 March 1964. (uncertain) 3
Photographs & further reading
Location, owner, seam and yearly employment from the Guide to the Coalfields, 1951-1961.
View sourceSources
- (primary) Lanchester Towneley Drift — Durham Mining Museum
- (secondary) NCB Collieries - England (Northern Mine Research Society) — Northern Mine Research Society
- (primary) Mine plan: Lanchester (Towneley or Harvey 'N' seam, abandoned 31 March 1964) — British Geological Survey (Mining Remediation Authority mine plans catalogue)
Record created: 24 October 2026 · Last researched: 2 November 2026