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Shropshire History |
Alveley Colliery |
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Alveley (SO754842) Coal During
the 1930s, the Highley Mining Company decided to develop the area east of
Highley Colliery and so, in 1935, a shaft was sunk at
Alveley with a concrete headgear and electric winder. It was connected to
Highley Colliery in 1937 and production commenced in
1938, with men and coal winding being progressively
transferred to Alveley. By 1940, Highley Colliery was closed although the
shafts were retained for ventilation.
Full output was reached in 1944, with 275,000 tons
per annum. The
Science & Art of Mining of 1944 recorded “The
800 employees at the H.M.C’s ‘wonder colliery’ at Alveley
have received a £600 token of appreciation from its directors. Every one of
them has been given a 15/- savings certificate for his efforts in attaining
the record output for the pit of 5,547 tons per week ended 7th October 1944. The new mine was modern for its day, being electrified
from the start, so there was no need for boilers. Coal face working was fully
mechanised and, in 1947, the capital cost of Alveley Colliery was £206,937.
There were 289 men working at the coal face, 135 for haulage and another 561
underground. With the 180 employed at surface, there was a total workforce of
741 men. Coal was taken over the River Severn to a screening
plant by a rope-worked tramway. The
colliery was taken over by the NCB in 1947 and 10 years later it employed
1,000 men with an annual output of 300,000 tons. In 1949 they were working
the Brooch Seam. Alveley worked to the north, south and east directions but not
to the west where the Highley mine had been. A natural boundary to the east
was the Romsley Fault but this appears to have been penetrated at a much
later date. The future of Alveley looked promising but in 1968 the quality of
the coal deteriorated dramatically at a time when there was a national over
supply and a major pit closure programme being implemented. Had the quality
problem occurred during or immediately after World War II, or during the
mid-1970s when there was an energy crisis, then it might not have mattered.
However, coming at a time of oversupply, the mine was closed as uneconomic in
January 1969. At the time of nationalisation, it had been estimated that up
to the Romsley Fault the estimated reserves were 22 million tonnes for the
Brooch Coal, 10 million tonnes for the New Mine Coal and 15 million tonnes
for the Flying Reed Coal, making a total of 47 million tonnes. At most, only
15% of these reserves were subsequently worked. Figures from the Mineral
Statistics are :-
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