| Administrative History | The pit was first sunk by the Blackwell Colliery Company in 1885. It worked the Low Main, Deep Soft, Deep Hard, Threequarter and Yard coal seams. The colliery was taken over by the National Coal Board in 1947 as a result of the nationalization of the coal industry. The highest recorded output was 411,643 tons in 1963-1964, with the highest recorded manpower of 964 in 1951. The No. 3 Drift shaft was opened to further develop the site and make up for loss of output throughout the country when other collieries began to close in the late 1960s.It closed in Dec 1967, with 560 men losing their jobs. It was located close to the railway station and the site is now Meadow Lane Industrial Estate. |