MineArchiveOakfield Colliery
| Location | Kelty, Beath parish, Fife — 56.1267, -3.3964 (exact) |
|---|---|
| Commodity | Coal |
| Type | Coal |
| Worked | 1944–1949 |
| Maximum depth | Unknown. |
| Operators | Fife Coal Company (1944–1947), National Coal Board (1947–1949) |
Overview
A short-lived post-war drift mine at Kelty, opened by the Fife Coal Company in 1944 and closed by the National Coal Board in 1949.
History
Oakfield Colliery at Kelty, in Beath parish, was one of a group of short-term drift mines the Fife Coal Company opened during and after the Second World War, with Benarty and Blairenbathie, all of which the National Coal Board continued after nationalisation. Production began in 1944. It was worked from two drifts from the surface, a main mine 503 metres long and a return mine of 375 metres.
In 1948 it raised 60 tons of steam coal a day, about 15,000 tons a year, with 62 employees, and took all its electricity from the National Coal Board. Its workforce peaked at 70 in 1947. RAF air photographs of November 1945 show open-cast working at the site, with the remains of Lassodie Colliery to the south. Oakfield closed in 1949, and the plans of its Five Feet workings were abandoned in 1950.
Geology
Fife coal measures: the Dunfermline Splint Five Feet seam, worked for steam coal.
Workings
Two drifts from the surface: a main mine 503 m long and a return mine 375 m long.
Closure
Closed in 1949; the Five Feet workings were abandoned in 1950.
What remains
Unknown.
Related mines
- Benarty Colliery — Both were short-term drift mines started by the Fife Coal Company in the 1940s and continued by the National Coal Board.
- Blairenbathie Colliery — Both were short-term drift mines started by the Fife Coal Company in the 1940s and continued by the National Coal Board.
Nearby mines
- Lassodie Mill Colliery — 0.4 miles (0.7 km) E
- Lassodie Colliery — 0.7 miles (1.1 km) SW
- Blairadam Colliery — 0.9 miles (1.4 km) N
- Blairenbathie Colliery — 1.1 miles (1.7 km) NW, Perth and Kinross
- Kelty Colliery — 1.1 miles (1.8 km) NE
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.
- Production at Oakfield began in 1944; it closed in 1949 and was abandoned in 1950. 1,2
- With Benarty and Blairenbathie it was one of a group of short-term drift mines started by the Fife Coal Company and continued by the National Coal Board. 1
- It had two drifts from the surface, a main mine 503 metres long and a return mine of 375 metres. 1
- In 1948 it raised 60 tons of steam coal a day, about 15,000 tons a year, with 62 employees. 1
- Its Dunfermline Splint Five Feet workings were abandoned in 1950. 2
Sources
- (primary) Oakfield Colliery (NRHE 131524, NT19SW 62) — Historic Environment Scotland (Canmore)
- (primary) BGS mine plan 14969: OAKFIELD, Dunfermline Splint Five Feet, abandoned 1950 — British Geological Survey / Mining Remediation Authority
Record created: 24 October 2026 · Last researched: 24 October 2026