St George's Colliery

Overview

A Tyldesley colliery sunk from 1866 behind St George's Church, linked to Gin Pit for ventilation, which raised coal until 1941 and was kept as a ventilation shaft until 1964.

History

St George's Colliery, known locally as Back o' th' Church, stood in Tyldesley on the Manchester coalfield, south of Tyldesley station on the Tyldesley Loopline, and took its name from St George's Church. The Astley and Tyldesley Coal and Salt Company began sinking its two shafts to the Rams mine in 1866 to work the Middle Coal Measures, and the colliery belonged to Sir Edmund Buckley. It was linked underground to Gin Pit Colliery for ventilation.

A third shaft was sunk to the Trencherbone mine in 1884 and later deepened to the Arley. On 13 June 1910 a fall of roof nine yards long in the main haulage brow killed three young men leaving the mine at the end of their shift.

The colliery worked the Seven Foot mine until 1929, when it became part of Manchester Collieries Ltd. It employed 780 in 1933 and 813 in 1940. Coal production ceased in 1941, but the colliery was kept for ventilation, worked with Gin Pit after nationalisation, until 1964.

Geology

The Middle Coal Measures of the Manchester coalfield. The first shafts were sunk to the Rams mine, a third to the Trencherbone and then the Arley, and the Seven Foot was worked until 1929.

Workings

Two shafts sunk from 1866 to the Rams mine and a third sunk to the Trencherbone in 1884, later deepened to the Arley. The colliery was connected to Gin Pit Colliery for ventilation, and by 1954 it was ventilated and worked in conjunction with Gin Pit.

Closure

Coal production ceased in 1941 under Manchester Collieries; the shafts were retained for ventilation until 1964.

What remains

Unknown.

Redevelopment

Unknown.

Related mines

• Gin Pit Colliery — Linked underground to Gin Pit for ventilation from the start, and ventilated and worked with Gin Pit after 1947.
• Minllyn Slate Quarry — Both owned by Sir Edmund Buckley, the Tyldesley colliery and the Dinas Mawddwy slate quarry.
• Nook Colliery — Both sunk and worked by the Astley and Tyldesley Coal and Salt Company in Tyldesley.

Recorded claims

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

• The colliery's two shafts were sunk to the Rams mine from 1866 by the Astley and Tyldesley Coal and Salt Company; a third shaft to the Trencherbone was sunk in 1884 and deepened to the Arley. ¹
• The colliery was linked to Gin Pit Colliery for ventilation; by 1954 it was ventilated and worked in conjunction with Gin. ^2,1
• St George's became part of Manchester Collieries in 1929, ceased coal production in 1941 and was retained for ventilation until 1964. ¹
• The colliery employed 780 in 1933 and 813 in 1940. ²
• On 13 June 1910 a fall nine yards long in the main haulage brow killed Albert Bond, John France junior and Michael O'Dea as they were leaving the mine. ²
• The colliery was owned by Sir Edmund Buckley. ¹

Photographs & further reading

Sources

1. (secondary) St George's Colliery — Wikipedia
2. (primary) Durham Mining Museum - St. Georges Colliery (UK) — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 1 October 2026 · Last researched: 1 October 2026