Shevington Colliery

Overview

John Tayleur and Son's small colliery at Shevington, north-west of Wigan, also called the Prince Albert Pit, worked from 1855 to 1890. An explosion in 1861 killed thirteen.

History

Shevington Colliery, also known as the Prince Albert Pit, lay at Shevington, four miles north-west of Wigan, and was worked from 1855 to 1890 by John Tayleur and Son, also recorded as John Taylor and Son. The inspector Peter Higson thought its owners spent freely on safety and its management experienced and above average; the workings in 1861 covered less than a statute acre.

A plane driven against a fault on the south side had been abandoned, and other places driven to the same fault were left when the roof became unstable. Pillar working had begun at the end of a drift where a stopping had been built. On 1 November 1861 gas freed by a roof fall gathered there and fired when a labourer who had kept a fireman's lamp key opened a lamp; thirteen died. The manager then was Makinson and the fireman Close.

The colliery closed in 1890.

Geology

Lancashire Coal Measures cut by a fault on the south side of the workings, where the roof was unstable; a plan of the Four Foot (Arley) at Shevington is held by BGS.

Workings

A small pit with workings of under an acre in 1861: a plane driven to a fault, pillar working at the end of a drift, and a ventilating furnace.

Closure

Closed in 1890.

What remains

Unknown.

Redevelopment

Unknown.

Disasters & major incidents

• Shevington Colliery explosion, 1861
  1 November 1861 · Explosion · 13 fatalities
  On 1 November 1861 a labourer who had kept his lamp key from his days as a fireman unlocked a lamp to relight another man's, and fired gas at the Prince Albert Pit of John Taylor and Son's Shevington Colliery, near Wigan, killing thirteen. The inspector blamed defective ventilation and lax discipline.

Recorded claims

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

• The colliery opened in 1855 and closed in 1890. ¹
• The pit was also known as the Prince Albert Pit. ²
• The workings did not exceed a statute acre, and the management was experienced and above average. ²
• An explosion on 1 November 1861 killed thirteen. ^2,1
• A plan of the Four Foot (Arley) seam at Shevington is in the abandoned mine plans catalogue. ³

Photographs & further reading

Sources

1. (primary) Shevington Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
2. (secondary) Shevington Colliery Explosion - Wigan - 1861 — Northern Mine Research Society
3. (primary) Shevington: abandonment plan, Four Foot (Arley) — BGS / Mining Remediation Authority

Record created: 3 October 2026 · Last researched: 3 October 2026