MineArchiveMountain Colliery, Buckley
| Location | Knowle Lane, Buckley, opposite Mountain Lane school, Flintshire — 53.1705, -3.0733 (exact) |
|---|---|
| Commodity | Coal |
| Type | Coal |
| Worked | 1890s–1929 |
| Maximum depth | Unknown. |
| Operators | Buckley Colliery Co. Ltd (?–1929), George Watkinson & Sons |
Overview
A Buckley colliery opened in the 1890s by George Watkinson and Sons, which employed nearly three hundred men before the First World War, passed to the Buckley Colliery Company and closed by 1929; houses now stand on the site.
History
Mountain Colliery stood on the common at Buckley, opposite what is now Mountain Lane school on Knowle Lane. It was opened in the 1890s, in 1897 by one account, by George Watkinson and Sons, who also worked Elm Colliery nearby. In 1896 it employed only 43 men raising house and steam coal, but the workforce grew to 283 by 1908 and was 266 in 1918.
The deaths recorded there under Watkinson were mostly falls of roof: Enoch Holmes in 1901, loosening the top of a prop so it could be drawn, when a large piece of rock fell on him; John Griffiths, a repairer, in 1910, examining a roadway before drawing it down; and John Edwards in 1912, re-setting two props a shot had knocked out, who died of his injuries seven months later. The colliery later passed to the Buckley Colliery Company, and in 1923 197 men worked the Main, Wall, Bench and Premier seams for house, steam and manufacturing coal. It closed in 1929, or at least before 1935, and Mountain Close now stands on the site.
Geology
North Wales (Flintshire) Coalfield: the Main, Wall, Bench and Premier seams.
Workings
Unknown.
Closure
Closed in 1929 by one account, before 1935 by another.
What remains
Housing (Mountain Close) stands on the site.
Redevelopment
Mountain Close, a housing street.
Related mines
- Elm Colliery — Buckley pits of George Watkinson and Sons, both later held by the Buckley Colliery Company.
Nearby mines
- Elm Colliery — 0.6 miles (0.9 km) NE
- Leeswood Main Colliery — 2.9 miles (4.6 km) S
- Leeswood Green Colliery — 3.1 miles (5.0 km) S
- Hendre Mine — 5.4 miles (8.7 km) NW
- Loggerheads — 5.4 miles (8.7 km) W, Denbighshire
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.
- Mountain Colliery operated between 1897 and 1929. (disputed) 3
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- Mountain Colliery was opened during the 1890s by George Watkinson and Sons Ltd. 1,2
- Mountain Colliery operated between 1897 and 1929. (disputed) 3
- It employed 43 men in 1896, 283 in 1908, 266 in 1918 and 197 in 1923. 1
- In 1923, under the Buckley Colliery Company, it worked the Main, Wall, Bench and Premier seams. 1
- It stood on the common opposite Mountain Lane school, Knowle Lane, where Mountain Close now stands. 3
- Falls of roof killed Enoch Holmes in 1901, John Griffiths in 1910 and John Edwards, who died in 1912 seven months after his injury. 2,4,5
Sources
- (secondary) Mountain Colliery, Buckley — Welsh Coal Mines
- (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Enoch Holmes, Mountain, Buckley, 1901 — Northern Mine Research Society
- (secondary) Stunning film brings Buckley's historic industrial heritage to life — Deeside.com
- (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: John C. Edwards, Mountain, Buckley, 1912 — Northern Mine Research Society
- (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: John Griffiths, Mountain, Buckley, 1910 — Northern Mine Research Society
Record created: 18 October 2026 · Last researched: 18 October 2026