The first mines were small holes in the ground. Today neat surface buildings and lawns give no sign of the intense, widespread activity underground.
A coal mine in the beginning was probably a bell pit owned or used by a few men. During the Industrial Revolution coal mining - like every other industrial activity - suddenly assumed new significance. Men became millionaires on coal. Others worked their short lives out in the mines, to die young of the dust disease pneumoconiosis or injury. During this century, the battle for coal involved many other battles with wage disputes and strikes, lockouts, disasters and reforms.
In 1947 the coal industry became the property of the State - it was nationalised. The owners were recompensed for the value of their mines and miners worked under public ownership instead of private companies. The National Coal Board (latterly known as British Coal) was set up to manage this vast industry on behalf of the nation.
However the demand for cheaper energy forced major restructuring of the coal industry. Decisions to return the coal industry to private hands were made and in the late 1980's and early 1990's, British Coal undertook a period of mine closures in preparation for offering for sale the most economically viable coal mines.
UK COAL PLC (formally RJB Mining PLC) was the successful bidder for the largest group of mines, all of which were situated in England. Other coal mines which were located in Wales and Scotland were purchased by different companies.
Under the ownership of UK COAL , the remaining 13 underground coalmines, have continued to improve productivity and cut the cost of production. British coal mines, achieve the most economically produced coal in Europe, with a level of productivity of 3,200 tonnes per man year. This is six times more efficient than any other producer in Europe, and places UK COAL at a competitive level with the largest of the world coal producers.
From men to machines
To understand the scope of mining now it helps to look back and compare. In the 17th century Newcastle mines were at most 125 metres deep, about as deep as St Paul's Cathedral is high. In the 18th century, some mines went as deep as 300 metres, around the height of the Eiffel Tower. By the beginning of the last century some mines were 800 metres deep and the increased power available from coal power itself, was used to remove the coal, ventilate the mine and pump out water. The deepest mines today are more than 1,000 metres deep.
But it is during the last generation that mining has changed most radically. The mines of all preceding centuries and much of this century were filled with people and animals, working. The mine of today has no one hewing the coalface - scores of men are replaced by a handful of operating machines. Where there used to be many collieries, most of them small, we have today a deliberate concentration of very efficient, highly mechanised mines. Machines now win virtually all the coal from British mines more safely than ever.
Mining of coal near the surface is another major subject on its own. It is an important part of the industry and UK COAL Surface Mining, plays a responsible role in this form of mining. Surface mining sites provide high-quality fuel that assist deep-mining activities.
On surface mine sites, the topsoil and subsoil's are separately stripped by machine and placed in baffle mounds around the site to screen the workings. As coal is exposed it is lifted by excavating shovels and transported to a disposal point for sizing, screening and blending for power stations, industry or homes. It is often used for blending with lower quality deep-mined coal to improve quality.
A measure of how surface mining mechanisation has advanced is that excavators 50 years ago were limited to a bucket size of less than one cubic metre while today there are excavators with bucket capacities ranging from 3 to 20 cubic metres. Compared with a deepest excavation of 30 metres in 1948, today depths of 80 metres are common and the deepest so far has been 215 metres.
Great care is taken to minimise disturbance during operations and the land is imaginatively restored for other uses when mining ends.