Eastern United Colliery

Old Eastern United Colliery buildings

Eastern United Colliery was a drift mine in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England served by the Great Western Railway's Forest of Dean Branch.

The colliery was one of the seven areas of deep gales - founded after the Dean Forest (Mines) Act in 1904.

The colliery exploited six seams containing 41,000,000 long tons (41,700,000 t) of coal which could give a working life of around 200 years (at an extraction rate of 200,000 long tons (203,000 t) per annum.[1] The principal coal seam was the Coleford High Delf, a steam coal much in demand and said to be up to 5 ft 0 in (1.524 m) thick. Demand led to discussions with the Great Western Railway over the provision of a link to its network.[2]

History

The first gale was granted on 19 March 1906 to Mr. J. R. Brown.[3] Henry Crawshay & Company was offered the gale in October 1907 and completed the purchase on 24 December 1907.[4][5] The purchase took place because the company was aware that the coal reserves at its Lightmoor Colliery would not last ten years, let alone the predicted twenty.[6]

Construction of the railway connection began in 1908 along with the sidings but the facilities were basic, having a two-lever ground frame allowing access to the complex.[7][8] A signal box at Eastern United was not provided until late 1913.[9]

In early 1914 it was announced that Eastern was not the success everyone hoped as the western portion of the gale could not be exploited because of its geological condition.[10] By 1916 its fortunes had changed, the coal seam had levelled out. By April 1919 output was up to 250 long tons (254 t) per day.[11] Accounts showed that the colliery was running at a loss until 1923, except for a small profit made in 1919.[12]

Expenditure at Eastern was made to modernise the facilities (including the repair and replacement of the boilers, the fitting of electricity and pumping equipment) and the provision of railway vehicles.[13][14] In 1914 twenty 12 long tons (12.2 t) wagons were purchased from the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company (at a cost of £16 5s 6d per wagon) to compliment thirty 10 long tons (10.2 t) others.[15] The older wagons had been rented and subsequently purchased (at a cost of £8 16s per wagon) from the Ince Waggon & Ironworks Co. of Wigan, through their broker - the Lincoln Wagon Co. of Doncaster.[16]

The colliery was nationalized in 1947 and became part of the National Coal Board South Western Division.[17] It closed on 30 January 1959.[18]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Pope, Ian; Karau, Paul (1992). The Forest of Dean Branch - Volume 1. Didcot: Wild Swan Publications Ltd. p. 133. ISBN 1-874103-05-4.
  2. ↑ Pope, Ian; Karau, Paul (1992). The Forest of Dean Branch - Volume 1. Didcot: Wild Swan Publications Ltd. p. 135. ISBN 1-874103-05-4.
  3. ↑ Pope, Ian; Karau, Paul (1992). The Forest of Dean Branch - Volume 1. Didcot: Wild Swan Publications Ltd. p. 134. ISBN 1-874103-05-4.
  4. ↑ Pope, Ian; Karau, Paul (1992). The Forest of Dean Branch - Volume 1. Didcot: Wild Swan Publications Ltd. p. 134. ISBN 1-874103-05-4.
  5. ↑ Pope, Ian; Karau, Paul (1992). The Forest of Dean Branch - Volume 1. Didcot: Wild Swan Publications Ltd. p. 134. ISBN 1-874103-05-4.
  6. ↑ Pope, Ian (2002). Private Owner Wagons Of The Forest Of Dean. Witney: Lightmoor Press. p. 65. ISBN 1-899889-09-4.
  7. ↑ Pope, Ian; Karau, Paul (1992). The Forest of Dean Branch - Volume 1. Didcot: Wild Swan Publications Ltd. p. 140. ISBN 1-874103-05-4.
  8. ↑ Pope, Ian; Karau, Paul (1992). The Forest of Dean Branch - Volume 1. Didcot: Wild Swan Publications Ltd. p. 167. ISBN 1-874103-05-4.
  9. ↑ Pope, Ian; Karau, Paul (1992). The Forest of Dean Branch - Volume 1. Didcot: Wild Swan Publications Ltd. p. 136. ISBN 1-874103-05-4.
  10. ↑ Pope, Ian; Karau, Paul (1992). The Forest of Dean Branch - Volume 1. Didcot: Wild Swan Publications Ltd. p. 140. ISBN 1-874103-05-4.
  11. ↑ Pope, Ian; Karau, Paul (1992). The Forest of Dean Branch - Volume 1. Didcot: Wild Swan Publications Ltd. p. 143. ISBN 1-874103-05-4.
  12. ↑ Pope, Ian; Karau, Paul (1992). The Forest of Dean Branch - Volume 1. Didcot: Wild Swan Publications Ltd. p. 162. ISBN 1-874103-05-4.
  13. ↑ Pope, Ian; Karau, Paul (1992). The Forest of Dean Branch - Volume 1. Didcot: Wild Swan Publications Ltd. p. 135. ISBN 1-874103-05-4.
  14. ↑ Pope, Ian; Karau, Paul (1992). The Forest of Dean Branch - Volume 1. Didcot: Wild Swan Publications Ltd. p. 136. ISBN 1-874103-05-4.
  15. ↑ Pope, Ian (2002). Private Owner Wagons Of The Forest Of Dean. Witney: Lightmoor Press. p. 65. ISBN 1-899889-09-4.
  16. ↑ Pope, Ian (2002). Private Owner Wagons Of The Forest Of Dean. Witney: Lightmoor Press. p. 66. ISBN 1-899889-09-4.
  17. ↑ Pope, Ian; Karau, Paul (1992). The Forest of Dean Branch - Volume 1. Didcot: Wild Swan Publications Ltd. p. 163. ISBN 1-874103-05-4.
  18. ↑ Pope, Ian; Karau, Paul (1992). The Forest of Dean Branch - Volume 1. Didcot: Wild Swan Publications Ltd. p. 165. ISBN 1-874103-05-4.

Coordinates: 51°48′00″N 02°30′37″W / 51.80000°N 2.51028°W / 51.80000; -2.51028

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