LONDON, June 8 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news:
A majormilestonein the preservation ofGreatBritain's industrial heritage has been reached with the launch of afree online toolgiving the public access to thousands of historical coal mining plans.
Thisdigitised collection brings together detailed maps and plans from formercollieriesacross England,Scotlandand Wales, offering an extraordinary view into the history of local landscapes, mining operations, and the lives of the communities who worked within them.
Youcan now search, view, and explore these original mining records from any device,from whereveryouare.
Historical mine plan viewer - explainer video
GeraldineWildman, Digital and InformationDirector, at the Mining Remediation Authority, said:
This resource opens a door to the past,providing a valuable historical record of mining activity across Great Britain.
The archiveincludesaround 120,000coalmine plans, some dating back to the 17th century. Despite their age, these plansremaina critical source of intelligence on underground conditions, including the extent and connectivity of coal mine workings.
For communities built oncoalmining, these plansrepresentfamily history, shared memory, and a deep-rooted connection totheir local area. Making them available ensures that this heritage is preserved and celebrated.
For many coalfieldcommunities, the online toolrepresentsthe first opportunity forpeople,including the families of miners,to understand how earlier generations shaped the places they live today.
To makethe coalmine plans publicly available online, the Mining Remediation Authorityworked in partnership with the British Geological Survey.Through this shared service, users can search for both coal and non-coal mine plans held by either organisation and view high-quality scans directly in their web browser.
An image of a mine plan from Gedling Colliery.
Alison Steven,NGDC Data Operations and Governance Lead at the British Geological Survey, said:
The launch of the new Mine Plans Catalogue is a part ofwider initiative at BGSto make legacy geological data more accessible.Working alongside the Mining Remediation Authoritywe have broughtthese plans together intoa single Mine Plans Catalogue. Thismeans users can now discover records held by both organisations in one place, making it easier than ever toexplorethegroundbeneath our feet.
Not only will this help communities reconnect with the stories that shaped their local heritage, but wider access to these plans also supports society's evolving interests in how the subsurface is used,from the rising demand for geothermal energy installations tothe need forrobustsubsurface data that underpins responsible land use planning decisions.
Thecoalmine plans are also available through the Mining Remediation Authority's online map viewer, alongside a wider range of data relating to the nature and extent of mining across Great Britain. This includes specific information to support safe planning and development on the coalfield, data on the potential for mine water heat, and records of historicalmetal mining inEngland.
To explore local mining plans, users can search theInteractive Map Viewer or access individual records via theMine Plans Catalogue.
For media enquiries contact the community response team
Email communityresponse@miningremediation.gov.uk
Telephone 0800 288 4211
For emergency media enquiries (out of hours) call: 0800 288 4242.
Only urgent media calls will be attended to.
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
