Merrylees Drift Mine

Also known as	Merrylees Colliery
Location	Merrylees, about a mile south-east of Desford Colliery, Leicestershire — 52.6540, -1.3200 (approximate)
Commodity	Coal
Type	Coal
Worked	1942 (coal from 1943)–Early 1970s
Maximum depth	A drift mine into shallow measures; no shaft depth applies.
Operators	Desford Coal Company (1942–1947), National Coal Board (1947–1974)

Overview

Two drifts driven from the surface at Merrylees by the Desford Coal Company towards the end of the Second World War, after boreholes to the south of Desford proved workable measures. Coal came out in 1943, and the mine ran until the early 1970s, connected underground to Desford from 1966 so that its coal was wound there. It became notorious for the extensive subsidence damage its workings caused to property in Barlestone and Newbold Verdon.

History

Bore holes to the south of Desford in 1942 showed that there were workable drifts, and two were driven from the surface at Merrylees, almost a mile south-east of Desford Colliery itself, by the Desford Coal Company. The first coal was brought out the following year. The work was the subject of a paper by A. D. Butterley and G. H. Mitchell in the Transactions of the Institution of Mining Engineers, volume 104, page 703. By 1947, the year of nationalisation, the combined outputs of Desford and Merrylees were just over 600,000 tons, and rose thereafter. In 1966 an underground connection was made with Desford and Merrylees coal was conveyed there; later, the Merrylees reserves were exhausted, and Desford went on to a record weekly tonnage. Merrylees was in operation until the early 1970s. It left a reputation. The mine became notorious for the extensive damage to property in parts of Barlestone and Newbold Verdon which the underground workings caused.

Geology

The Eastern Basin of the Leicestershire coalfield, south of Desford, where boreholes in 1942 proved seams shallow enough to be reached by driving drifts from the surface rather than sinking. Shallow working of this kind is what made the subsidence at Barlestone and Newbold Verdon so damaging: there was little cover between the workings and the houses above them.

Workings

Two drifts driven from the surface in 1942 and producing from 1943, worked by the Desford Coal Company and then by the National Coal Board. From 1966 the workings were connected underground to Desford Colliery and Merrylees coal was conveyed there for winding.

Closure

The Merrylees reserves were exhausted and the mine was in operation only until the early 1970s. Its coal had been coming out at Desford since the 1966 connection.

What remains

No specific present-day description of the drift mouths or surface site has been established from the sources read.

No surviving surface structure has been identified from the sources read.

Related mines

Desford Colliery — Merrylees was driven by the Desford Coal Company in 1942 on the strength of boreholes south of Desford, and from 1966 the two were connected underground so that Merrylees coal was wound at Desford. The 1947 output figure of just over 600,000 tons is for the two together.

Nearby mines

Desford Colliery — 1.5 km NW
Bagworth Colliery — 2.0 km NW
Norwich Chalk Mines — 2.5 km S, Norfolk
Nailstone Colliery — 4.0 km W
Cliffe Hill Quarry — 5.2 km N

Straight-line distance, within 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.

Near the end of the Second World War two drifts were driven from the surface at Merrylees, almost a mile south-east of Desford Colliery itself, by the Desford Coal Co. Ltd; boreholes to the south of Desford in 1942 had shown there were workable drifts, and the first coal was brought out the following year. ^1,2
The driving of the Merrylees drifts was the subject of a paper by A. D. Butterley and G. H. Mitchell in the Transactions of the Institution of Mining Engineers, vol. civ, p. 703. ²
Merrylees became notorious for the extensive damage to property in parts of Barlestone and Newbold Verdon which the underground workings caused. ²
In 1966 an underground connection was established with the Merrylees drift mine and Merrylees coal was conveyed to Desford; later the Merrylees reserves were exhausted. The mine was in operation until the early 1970s. ^1,2
By 1947 the combined outputs of Desford and Merrylees were just over 600,000 tons, and this increased over time. ¹

Photographs & further reading

Merrylees Colliery — Coal Mining in Leicestershire (reference)

The short Northern Mine Research Society account of the drifts: who drove them and when, the engineering paper that describes the work, and the subsidence damage at Barlestone and Newbold Verdon.

View source

Sources

(secondary) Coal mining — Desford Heritage
(secondary) Merrylees Colliery — Coal Mining in Leicestershire (reproducing Northern Mine Research Society)
(primary) BGS mine plans catalogue: Merrylees — British Geological Survey

Record created: 7 September 2026 · Last researched: 7 September 2026