Probable Shallow Coal Mine Workings

Probable shallow coal mine workings contain locations and estimated extents of probable shallow underground workings for which no recorded plan exists, but where it is likely that workable coal at shallow depths has been mined before records were kept. The data has been estimated from available mining records by qualified mining surveyors. Since 1872 there has been a law that requires all coal mine operators to deposit working plans of the mine with the Government following the cessation of operations. Prior to this date the plans were often destroyed or kept in private ownership. This layer was constructed to show areas where the Coal Authority believe that there is evidence of past coal mine workings but have no formal abandonment plan for those workings, such as an adjacent mine plan may have the annotation ‘Ancient workings’, located by development and/or site investigation, the workings may even be shown on an estate/surface plan. This dataset does not therefore constitute a complete dataset and omissions of recorded and unrecorded shallow workings do not constitute virgin un-worked ground; standing advice must prevail.