Coventry Colliery

The first Warwickshire Coal Company Ltd was registered in 1901 by the proprietors of the Wyken Collieries who owned three small collieries to the north of Coventry. The original colliery ‘Wyken colliery’ had been served by the Oxford Canal, but a short standard gauge mineral branch was constructed to the LNWR Coventry to Nuneaton line in 1862. This colliery was worked out by 1881 and production shifted then to the adjacent ‘Alexandra Colliery’ until that too became exhausted in 1919. The final colliery ‘Craven colliery’ was sold to the Warwickshire Coal Company in 1918 and remained in production until 1927. The Warwickshire Coal Company commenced trial excavations at Keresley north of Coventry during 1902 and soon discovered a viable seam. The sinking of a new mine was sanctioned, but not started due to economic problems.

A new company with the same name was formed on 14th February 1911 to acquire the business interests of the previous company and two mine shafts were sunk at Keresley, but the colliery’s construction was delayed by the First World War and the mine was not completed until 1919. In 1924 all the interests in Warwickshire Coal Co Ltd were acquired by the Coltness Iron Company (CIC) Ltd. The Coventry Colliery was very productive and in 1928 the Warwickshire Coal Company had almost 1000 open wagons on hire and significant contracts to supply slack to electricity generation stations in Birmingham and Coventry and by 1939 Coventry Colliery was producing 1,000,000 tons of coal per year. On 1st January 1947 the colliery became part of the National Coal Board (NCB) Area 4 (Warwickshire). In March 1967, the NCB areas were reorganised and Coventry colliery became part of the South Midlands Area (SMD). The colliery closed for redevelopment in October 1991.

Coventry Colliery was connected to the LNWR (Coventry to Nuneaton Route) at Three Spires Junction, near Foleshill by a two mile long private railway. The railway was originally used to assist in the construction of the new colliery with conveyance of construction materials and spoil. Once the mine was completed the railway became the primary route for the dispatch of coal with extensive sidings being built adjacent to Three Spires Junction.

The following standard gauge steam locomotives and two narrow gauge (2 ft) were known to have worked on Coventry Colliery private railway. In later years a number of standard gauge diesel locomotives were employed, but their details have been omitted :

Ref: misc_cc011 Anon British Railways built 0-6-0T No 1501 is seen standing in line ahead of classmate No 1509 at the front of Coventry Colliery shed

Ref: misc_cc012 AW Flowers British Railways built 0-6-0T No 1501 is seen in steam whilst standing on the roads outside of Coventry Colliery's shed

Ref: misc_cc013 Anon British Railways built 0-6-0T No 1509 is seen whilst in steam standing behind classmate No 1501 alongside the main shaft

Ref: misc_cc019 TJ Edgington Peckett 0-6-0ST Class OX1 'Coventry No 4' is seen whilst out of steam stabled outside of the Colliery's shed on 1st March 1959

Ref: misc_cc020 Anon Ex-Barry Railway Class A 0-6-0 'Coventry No 5' is seen fresh out of the shops standing next to Coventry Colliery's main shaft

Ref: misc_cc021 C Capewell British Railways 0-6-0T No 1501 is seen running tender first at the head of a long coal train crossing Wheelwright Lane level crossing

Ref: misc_cc021 C Capewell View of one of the Colliery's 15xx Class locomotives standing inside the new two road engine shed located alongside the main shaft

Ref: misc_coll-locos051 AJ Booth British Rail 0-6-0 Class 08 No 8920 is seen shunting at Coventry Homefire Plant on 28th September 1983

Ref: misc_coll-locos052 KJ Cooper Ex-Barry Railway and built by Sharp Stuart 0-6-0T 'Coventry No 5' is seen standing at Coventry Colliery

Ref: misc_cc0104 KJ Copper Ex-GWR 0-6-0PT No 1509 is seen standing in the yard on 6th May 1963 two months after arriving at Coventry Colliery

Ref: kt346 Midland RC&WCo View of the one hundred wagons for Warwickshire Coal Co built by MRC&WCo