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Local Mine
Information Page 2 (see
also timelines)
This
information in part is derived from an SBL related webpage,
copyright
holder unknown, contact us if it's you!
Golden Valley
The Golden Valley area to the north of Bitton
had several early mineworkings most are now quite
hard to locate.
Firstly near the junction of Beach Hill and Golden
Valley Road where disturbed ground at the left of
Beach Hill might mark a site.
The next at is between New Pit Lane and the Old
Mill on Golden Valley, the Old Pit which is completely
covered by a coppice today – farmers obviously screening off
this potentially dangerous site from their livestock
– the site can clearly be identified as it lies
two fields beyond White House Farm.
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Thirdly there is Painters Pit which
is marked by a chimney in the middle
of a field. A fire lit in the
heart of the chimney would suck up foul
air from the mine and ventilate it.
There are two other sites on New
Pit Lane which seem promising – opposite
Rockhouse Farm there is a deep gully
in the hillside which looks like the
entrance to an adit.
A few years ago the gully was used
as a rubbish dump so it's not as clear
as it used to be but a tree marks the
spot. Also it is edged by drystone walls
– a giveaway sign, a public footpath
is very close by.
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Secondly, further down just before New Pit Lane
bridges the River Boyd is a mound – again on the
right. On the far side it is deeply cut away
and suggests possibly a small spoil heap or a mine
entrance.
The seams worked in Golden Valley were the Millgrit,
Rag, Buff and Parrot, the latter at 1920 feet. These
collieries were owned by the Brain family of Fifteen
Acre Farm. In 1898 the Golden Valley Colliery
closed but was bought by Philip Fussell of Oldland
Colliery Company as both workings had almost connected
and he did not want any more competition.
Even with large scale maps it is often difficult
to trace these mines. Housing development and farming
combine to obscure and obliterate. Your local knowledge
could provide clues which help fit this jigsaw together.
It is to be wondered if many newcomers to
this area know that their houses might be built
over coal shafts.
Perhaps they will wake up one morning to find
a mine shaft outside their back door, which happened
a few years ago to a resident of the High Street
terrace in Oldland.
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