The Last Years of Coal Mining in Yorkshire A Pictorial Record

Author Steve Grudgings, HB with dust jacket, 314pp , 250mm x 250mm

Anything written and produced by Steve is going to be good, at was a first sceptical of the title too much has been produced on the Coalfield, however, Steve provides superb colour and Black and White Photos, featuring mining scenes surface and underground with suitable descriptions it is a superb book Some 56 pits and 5 pumping stations are included, the publisher has produced a great job in a gloss paper all the photos are high quality

I'm offering this for £25.00 post free at www.moorebooks.co.uk

Mike

Publishers description:
As time passes, our understanding of the scale and importance of the UK’s coal industry fades. In the 1950s and 60s, most homes had coal fires, and electricity and gas were both produced from coal. In our grandparents’ childhood, more than a million men were directly employed in the industry world’s railway and UK coal powered most of the world’s shipping fleets as well as our own massive industrial base. This country’s coal reserves were a major factor in our leadership in the industrial and commercial spheres and it can be said that Britain’s success was ‘built on coal.’ The success of the coal industry also bought a high toll of deaths and injury, dangerous levels of atmospheric pollution and acute industrial unrest. In 2015, as this book goes to press, the UK’s last deep coal mines will close and the country’s residual requirements for coal will be met by imports from places such as Poland, Columbia and China.
The Yorkshire coalfield produced a greater output than any other single area in the UK since the First World War, and until the 1990s was still host to a number of large and highly efficient mines. The pits themselves, the communities that housed the miners, and the related industrial and transport infrastructure had their own distinctive atmosphere and ethos, most of which has now passed by. Spoil heaps and headgear, the obvious markers of the industry, and are now notable by their absence.
Key Features:
• A unique pictorial record of the fast few years of coal mining in Yorkshire and contains over 400 images of large and small colleries across the district.
•Choice of photographs was made of the basis of their breadth of coverage and well historic and aesthetic merit

Just a small note,Russia is the biggest exporter of coal into the UK,China exports very little here now.

Just a small note,Russia is the biggest exporter of coal into the UK,China exports very little here now.

I was careful to indicate that was the publishers summary, I thought there was an embargo on Russian goods - except when it suits?

Mike

Just a small note,Russia is the biggest exporter of coal into the UK,China exports very little here now.

Are we talking large volumes of commercial slag, or good quality domestic burning? my supplier for home fuel is forever bemoaning the fact that he has to go to the far east (Vietnam?) for supplies because there's now't coming from South Wales for home use.
He's too young to remember the other good coalfields.

When I grew up I can remember Council Houses were built with a separate 'Coal House', a small room to accommodate the concessionary coal awarded to miners.

---

I bought the book before christmas. I think its a great book, great pictorial history of Yorkshire pits and some good underground stuff as well.

A photo of a pit got me scratching my head, I was thinking the layout is all wrong, then I figured it out, the photo was a mirror image of the origional. The pit wasnt back to front just the photo! lol.

As I said before I though it was a great book, well worth the money in my opinion.

Just a small note,Russia is the biggest exporter of coal into the UK,China exports very little here now.

Are we talking large volumes of commercial slag, or good quality domestic burning? my supplier for home fuel is forever bemoaning the fact that he has to go to the far east (Vietnam?) for supplies because there's now't coming from South Wales for home use.
He's too young to remember the other good coalfields.

When I grew up I can remember Council Houses were built with a separate 'Coal House', a small room to accommodate the concessionary coal awarded to miners.

Like i mentioned above,Russia is the biggest exporter of coal into the UK,and the main supplier of Drax,whether they export Anthracite into the UK i don`t know,Vietnam does,and small quantities from China.
South Wales Anthracite is getting scarce butty,only mined at 2 Smallmines and 2 opencasts both of which are under Celtic Energy and go through the Onllwyn washery and sold to coal merchants and the supplies of concessionary coal for retired Miner`s,both Smallmines go through the small Brynamman washery.

UK coal imports by type and country of origin 2014 (latest available comprehensive data):

Anthracite: EU 42,000 tons, Russia 35,000, other countries 34,000, Colombia 9,000, South Africa 7,000. Total 127,000 tons.

Steam coal: Russia 16.2mt, Colombia 9.7mt, USA 8.0mt, EU 0.7mt, other countries 0.6mt, South Africa 0.1mt. Total 35.3mt.

Coking coal: USA 3.0mt, Russia 1.4mt, Australia 1.2mt, Canada 0.4mt, other countries 0.2mt, EU 32,000. Total 6.3mt.

Imports from 'EU' includes coal from other countries routed through the EU.

Source: Digest of UK energy statistics 2015, London: HMSO, 2015 (contains 2014 data), p.44.

South Wales underground mines working 2014: Aberpergwm (Energybild Mining Ltd); Dan-y-Graig No.4 (Three D's Mining Ltd); Nant Hir No.2 (NH Colliery Ltd). Also one on care and maintenance: Unity (Unity Mine Ltd). [All produce anthracite].

South Wales surface mines working 2014: Glan Lash (Bryn Bach Coal Ltd), East Pit, Nant Helen and Selar (all three Celtic Energy Ltd); Ffos-y-Fran (Miller Argent (South Wales) Ltd); Tower (Tower Regeneration Ltd). Also one with production suspended: Bwlch Ffos (Horizon Mining Ltd, in administration). [I believe that all these except for Ffos-y-Fran and Tower produce anthracite?]

Source: as above, p.59.

I'm aware that Aberpergwm has since ceased production, and at least one of the surface mines working in 2014 (Selar) has since suspended production.

In 2014 UK underground and surface mines produced 1.4mt of anthracite, 10.2mt of steam coal, and 99,000 tons of coking coal. Total 11.6mt.

UK anthracite consumption 2014: electricity generation 0.7mt, patent fuel manufacture 0.3mt, industry 0.4mt, domestic 0.2mt. Total 1.6mt.

(Difference between supply and consumption results from stock changes).

Incidentally, UK heritage railways used 13,000 tons of steam coal in 2014.

Source: as above, p.53.

Incidentally, UK concessionary coal supplied in 2014 totalled 42,600 tons.

Source: as above, p.51.

Back to the original post; excellent book and excellent service from moorebooks. I'm not a 'shareholder' or relative of the proprieter just happy to recommend good service.

http://www.moorebooks.co.uk/