Chisnall Hall Colliery
Encyclopedia
Chisnall Hall Colliery was the largest coal mine in the area north of Wigan
in Northern England
. The mine was sunk on Coppull
Moor between 1891 and 1900. It was owned by the Pearson & Knowles Coal and Iron Co Ltd, of Warrington
and connected to the London and North Western Railway
's Wigan–Preston main line
by a 1.5 mile private railway. In 1930, Pearson & Knowles merged with the Wigan Coal & Iron Co Ltd (and others) and all the collieries, including Chisnall Hall, became the property of the Wigan Coal Corporation.
. New headgear
and new screens
replaced the fairly ramshackle original structures and a coal washery was added. During the 1950s and early 1960s, well over 1000 men were employed, producing about 250,000 tons of coal
per year.
.
of the very large waste heap
and colliery site was very thorough and won awards. Almost no traces of the colliery or its railway survive.
Wigan
Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...
in Northern England
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
. The mine was sunk on Coppull
Coppull
Coppull is a village and civil parish in Lancashire, England. It is part of the borough of Chorley, lies around above sea level and has a population of around 7,600. It is bounded by Whittle Brook, Clancutt Brook, the River Yarrow, Eller Brook, Hic-Bibi Brook and Stars Brook...
Moor between 1891 and 1900. It was owned by the Pearson & Knowles Coal and Iron Co Ltd, of Warrington
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
and connected to the London and North Western Railway
London and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
's Wigan–Preston main line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
by a 1.5 mile private railway. In 1930, Pearson & Knowles merged with the Wigan Coal & Iron Co Ltd (and others) and all the collieries, including Chisnall Hall, became the property of the Wigan Coal Corporation.
Nationalisation
After nationalisation on 1 January 1947, a major rebuilding of the colliery was authorised by the National Coal BoardNational Coal Board
The National Coal Board was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the mines on "vesting day", 1 January 1947...
. New headgear
Headframe
A headframe is the structural frame above an underground mine shaft. Modern headframes are built out of steel, concrete or a combination of both...
and new screens
Mechanical screening
Mechanical screening, often just called screening, is the practice of taking granulated ore material and separating it into multiple grades by particle size....
replaced the fairly ramshackle original structures and a coal washery was added. During the 1950s and early 1960s, well over 1000 men were employed, producing about 250,000 tons of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
per year.
Closure
The colliery closed on 24 March 1967, the last in the Wigan area other than small private mines. The washery and railway remained open for about 4 months, washing coal brought from Wood Pit, HaydockHaydock
Haydock is a village within the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, in Merseyside, England. It contains all of the Haydock electoral ward and a section of the Blackbrook electoral ward. The village is located roughly mid-way between Liverpool and Manchester, close to the junction of the M6 motorway...
.
The site today
LandscapingLandscaping
Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including:# living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly referred to as gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal of creating a beautiful environment within the landscape.#...
of the very large waste heap
Tailings
Tailings, also called mine dumps, slimes, tails, leach residue, or slickens, are the materials left over after the process of separating the valuable fraction from the uneconomic fraction of an ore...
and colliery site was very thorough and won awards. Almost no traces of the colliery or its railway survive.