Welcome

The remarkable story of the Neston collieries has been largely ignored by historians. However, they operated for around 150 years and, for a while, were amongst the largest and most successful in the region. This website aims to shed light on their story.

There were two periods of operation: the first was 1759 to 1855. This period coincided with the Industrial Revolution and saw the introduction of the first steam engine in the region, as well as other new technologies. Another feature was the bitter rivalry between two neighbouring collieries which resulted in violent sabotage and ended up in court.

The later period of working spanned 1875 to 1927. Many local people have relatives in recent generations who worked at this mine. As in the first era of mining, this period saw the introduction of new technologies, and was supported by a railway introduced at outset. However, it had many troubles, leading to its eventual closure.

During both periods of mining there were numerous accidents, many fatal, and a complete list of known deaths is included here.

This website was originally conceived to support the book ‘The Neston Collieries: An Industrial Revolution in Rural Cheshire’, published by the University of Chester Press (now in its second edition). However, the content has been extended to include selected information on the later period of mining, given the high level of interest in Neston’s mining history.

The Early Collieries The Later Collieries The Book