Ram Hill Colliery, Ram Hill

Ram Hill

Ram Hill is a hamlet in South Gloucestershire, England. It is located between Coalpit Heath and Westerleigh and adjoins the hamlet of Henfield immediately to the south...

, Coalpit Heath

Coalpit Heath

Coalpit Heath is a small village in the parish of Westerleigh, South Gloucestershire, England, south of Yate and east of Frampton Cotterell in South Gloucestershire.-Background:...

, Bristol

Bristol

Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...

 was sunk sometime between 1820 and 1830. It was owned by the Coalpit Heath Company, which included Sir John Smyth as a shareholder. Sir John was one of the main proponents of the Bristol & Gloucestershire Railway

Bristol and Gloucester Railway

The Bristol and Gloucester Railway opened in 1844 between Bristol and Gloucester, meeting the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway. It is now part of the main line from the North-East of England through Derby and Birmingham to the South-West.-History:...

, (known locally as the Dramway), and that railway linked the pit (and others owned by the Coalpit Heath Co.) to Cuckolds Pill in Bristol. The railway was built in 1828 and was probably the last railway in England designed to use horses as a means of locomotion (the Rainhill Trials

Rainhill Trials

The Rainhill Trials were an important competition in the early days of steam locomotive railways, run in October 1829 in Rainhill, Lancashire for the nearly completed Liverpool and Manchester Railway....

 the following year heralded the use of steam).

Ram Hill was 558ft deep and was originally worked by a horse gin, the remains of which are still visible. In later years it was worked by a beam engine

Beam engine

A beam engine is a type of steam engine where a pivoted overhead beam is used to apply the force from a vertical piston to a vertical connecting rod. This configuration, with the engine directly driving a pump, was first used by Thomas Newcomen around 1705 to remove water from mines in Cornwall...

. The pit was linked underground to Churchleaze, New Engine and Rose Oak Pits forming the hub of 19th century coal mining in Westerleigh

Westerleigh

Westerleigh is a village and parish in South Gloucestershire, England near the edge of the Cotswold hills. The village is located between Yate and Bristol, nearby villages include Nibley, Wapley, Iron Acton, Coalpit Heath and Codrington.-Background:...

 parish.

Abandonment plans show that the colliery, along with other Coalpit Heath

Coalpit Heath

Coalpit Heath is a small village in the parish of Westerleigh, South Gloucestershire, England, south of Yate and east of Frampton Cotterell in South Gloucestershire.-Background:...

 pits at Churchleaze and New Engine, closed in the 1860s as the nearby Frog Lane colliery increased production.

In later years the area was purchased by the GWR

Great Western Railway

The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...

 for the construction of their direct route to South Wales

South Wales

South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...

 via Badminton and, although their line passed through the area in a deep cutting, the works stopped short just to the north of the pit.

The site was rediscovered by local archaeologist and author John Cornwell in 1981 and has since been excavated, first by workers on a job creation scheme, and latterly by the ‘Friends of Ram Hill Colliery’ who cleared the area of flora and removed two spoil heaps which were formed during earlier excavations. This exposed more of the dramway and the remains of a boiler house for a steam engine. Other remains at the site include the foundations of a horse gin and the uncapped shaft of the pit.

A geophysical survey, using restivity, at Ram Hill Colliery has revealed clear traces of a reservoir in the northern corner of the site.

In 2006 the Ram Hill Colliery site was designated by English Heritage

English Heritage

English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...

 as a Scheduled Ancient Monument

Scheduled Ancient Monument

In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a 'nationally important' archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorized change. The various pieces of legislation used for legally protecting heritage assets from damage and destruction are grouped under the term...

, recognising the national importance of the site and protects it in the future. It is hoped to maintain a balance between archaeology and ecology by maintaining it as a grassed area. and a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund

Heritage Lottery Fund

The Heritage Lottery Fund is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage...

 has been prepared.

Other Coal Mines

For the nearby Ram Hill Engine Pit, Churchleaze No. 1 Pit and Churchleaze No. 2 Pit see Ram Hill

Ram Hill

Ram Hill is a hamlet in South Gloucestershire, England. It is located between Coalpit Heath and Westerleigh and adjoins the hamlet of Henfield immediately to the south...

.

Serridge Engine Pit, Orchard (or Middle Wimsey) Pit, No. 11 Pit and New Engine Pit were situated in the neighbouring hamlet of Henfield

Henfield, Gloucestershire

Henfield is a hamlet in South Gloucestershire, England between Coalpit Heath and Westerleigh, adjoining the hamlet of Ram Hill immediately to the north.-Background:...

.