Salterford Drift Mine

Overview

Two National Coal Board drift mines at Cliviger, near Burnley, opened in 1948 and 1953 to work Dandy Mine coal beyond the reach of old Towneley Colliery; the first beat its targets in 1950-51, and the second stopped producing in December 1959.

History

Salterford was the first of two drift mines the National Coal Board opened in Cliviger, south-east of Burnley, to work an area of the Dandy Mine that lay out of economic reach of the old Towneley Colliery. No. 1 Drift was begun in 1948 on Salterford Lane and sloped in at 1 in 43 until it met the seam 300 yards in. Its water was pumped into the old Boggart Bridge Colliery by a mono pump running twelve hours a day. In 1950 the pit beat its production target in 42 weeks of the year, more often than any other colliery in the Coal Board's North Western Division, and in January 1951 the Burnley Express reported that it had produced over 2,000 tons in a week for the first time. Its workings were of limited extent, however, and in 1953 a second drift was developed about 650 metres to the south, near Ormerod House, Higher Red Lees, on Foxstones Lane, planned for about 150 tons a day. No. 1 closed in April 1956 by one account and was abandoned in 1957 by others. The pumps were withdrawn in April 1957 and the workings between the Brownside and Worsthorne faults left to flood, overflowing into Boggart Bridge. No. 2 Drift stopped producing coal in December 1959, when it was no longer economic to work. The Coal Board landscaped the whole area, and no trace of the mining remains.

Geology

Coal Measures of the Burnley Coalfield: the Dandy Mine, between the Brownside and Worsthorne faults.

Workings

No. 1 Drift (1948), driven at 1 in 43 to meet the Dandy Mine 300 yards in, with a mono pump discharging to Boggart Bridge Colliery; No. 2 Drift (1953), about 650 metres to the south. The colliery had pithead baths.

Closure

No. 1 Drift closed in 1956 or 1957; the pumps were withdrawn in April 1957 and the workings flooded. No. 2 Drift stopped producing coal in December 1959.

What remains

The National Coal Board landscaped the site; no trace of mining remains.

None.

Redevelopment

The area was landscaped by the National Coal Board after closure.

Related mines

• Towneley Colliery — Salterford was opened to work Dandy Mine coal out of economic reach of the old Towneley Colliery (NMRS).

What's uncertain

Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.

• Salterford No. 1 closed in April 1956. (disputed) ¹
• Salterford No. 1 was abandoned in 1957. (disputed) ^2,3

Recorded claims

Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.

• The first Salterford drift was opened by the National Coal Board in 1948, on Salterford Lane. ^1,2
• No. 1 Drift sloped in at 1 in 43 and met the Dandy Mine after 300 yards, working coal beyond the economic reach of the old Towneley Colliery. ¹
• In 1950 the colliery beat its production target in 42 weeks, more often than any other pit in the NCB's North Western Division. ¹
• A second drift was opened in 1953 on Foxstones Lane. ^1,2
• Salterford No. 1 closed in April 1956. (disputed) ¹
• Salterford No. 1 was abandoned in 1957. (disputed) ^2,3
• Coal production at the second drift ended in 1959, when it became uneconomic to work. ^1,2
• There are now no traces of mining in this part of Cliviger; the NCB landscaped the area. ^1,2

Sources

1. (secondary) Salterford Drift Mine — Northern Mine Research Society
2. (secondary) The Baths at Salterford Colliery, Cliviger nr. Burnley — Lancashire County Council (Red Rose Collections)
3. (primary) BGS mine plans: Salterford No. 1 Drift, Dandy seam, abandoned 1957 — British Geological Survey / Mining Remediation Authority
4. (primary) BGS mine plans: Salterford No. 2 Drift / Balance Old / Stump Cross, Dandy seam, abandoned 1960 — British Geological Survey / Mining Remediation Authority

Record created: 16 October 2026 · Last researched: 16 October 2026