Westwell Colliery

Overview

One of two collieries in the hamlet of Plumbley, in the Moss Valley on what was then the Derbyshire side of the Sheffield boundary. Westwell was sunk in 1876, the year J and G Wells of Eckington became a limited company, and was disused by 1901 — a shorter life than its neighbour Plumbley Colliery, whose Seldom Seen engine house still stands in the woods a few hundred metres to the south.

History

Westwell stood in the hamlet of Plumbley, in the Moss Valley coal country worked by J and G Wells of Eckington. Joseph and George Wells were coal masters at Mosbrough in the middle of the 19th century and were operating the Mosbrough and Bramley Moor collieries by 1857; in 1876 they formed a limited company, J and G Wells Limited, which at various times worked a string of collieries in the Eckington area — Holbrook, Hornthorpe, Killamarsh, Mosbrough, Norwood, Plumbley, Renishaw, Renishaw Park, Spinkhill, Westthorpe and Westwell. Westwell itself was sunk in 1876 and was disused by 1901. Its neighbour in the same hamlet, Plumbley Colliery, was at work by 1875 and outlasted it, closing in the 1890s but kept pumping until 1914, and its engine house survives as a scheduled monument. By nationalisation in 1947 the Wells company worked only one colliery, Holbrook, which passed to the National Coal Board.

Geology

Unknown.

Workings

Unknown.

Closure

Disused by 1901. Its neighbour Plumbley Colliery, in the same hamlet, closed in the 1890s but was kept pumping until 1914.

What remains

Unknown.

Redevelopment

Unknown.

Related mines

• Plumbley Colliery — The two collieries of the hamlet of Plumbley, both worked by J and G Wells of Eckington and at work at the same time; Plumbley outlasted Westwell and its engine house survives.

Nearby mines

• Plumbley Colliery — 0.9 km S
• Eckington Mine — 2.0 km SE, Derbyshire
• Birley Collieries — 3.4 km N
• Westthorpe Colliery — 3.4 km E, Derbyshire
• Renishaw Park Colliery — 3.7 km SE, Derbyshire

Straight-line distance, within 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.

• Sunk in 1876 and disused by 1901. ¹
• One of two collieries in the hamlet of Plumbley in the late 19th century, the other being Plumbley Colliery. ¹
• Worked at various times by J and G Wells Limited among their collieries in the Eckington area. ²
• Recorded at SK 42217 80817. ³

Photographs & further reading

Sources

1. (secondary) Plumbley — Wikipedia
2. (secondary) J. and G. Wells — Grace's Guide
3. (secondary) Collieries: grid references — oldminer.co.uk
4. (primary) MDR6121: Plumbley Colliery and 'Seldom Seen' Engine House, Ince Piece Wood, Eckington — Derbyshire Historic Environment Record

Record created: 22 September 2026 · Last researched: 24 September 2026