The Coalfields Trust defines the Kent Coalfield as the wards of Barnham Downs and Marshside in the Canterbury district, and the wards of Aylesham, Eastry, Eythorne & Shepherdswell, Middle Deal & Sholden, Mill Hill and North Deal in the Dover district.

Are there any coal mines still open in the UK?

The last operating deep coal mine in the United Kingdom, Kellingley colliery in North Yorkshire, closed in December 2015. Most continuing coal mines are collieries owned by freeminers, or are open pit mines of which there were 26 in 2014.

When did Betteshanger Colliery close?

1989
Betteshanger Colliery was also the last Colliery to remain open in Kent, closing in 1989.

Who owns Snowdown Colliery?

Local businessman Patrick K Murfet plans to transform the 100-acre site, bringing a business facility to sit alongside a country park offering facilities for events and glamping.

When did the last coal mine in Kent Close?

Betteshanger was the last colliery in Kent, closing in 1989, just one year short of the centenary of the discovery of coal in Kent.

Who owns Snowdown colliery?

Where in Kent is snowdown?

Snowdown is a hamlet near Dover in Kent, England. It was the location of one of the four chief collieries of the Kent coalfield, which closed in 1987. The population of the village is included in the civil parish of Aylesham, Kent. As a result, Snowdown is served by Aylesham Parish Council.

Is Kent a rare Coalfield?

Kent was rare in having productive seams in the Upper Wesphalian and is probably the only coalfield to have more suspended sinkings than working collieries. Dover Museum’s Coalfields Heritage Initiative Kent has a useful website. 1

What if East Kent had been able to mine coal?

Had coal been more easily accessible, the open, rural landscape of east Kent could have changed beyond recognition. Various geologists, including Robert Godwin-Austen, theorised that the geological conditions in East Kent were conducive to the existence of coal and therefore the potential for coal mining.

What is the Warwickshire Group of coalfields?

The rock sequences found within the concealed coalfields of Kent, Berkshire and Oxfordshire have been formally renamed in recent years using terms established for the South Wales Coalfield. Much of the strata now assigned to the Warwickshire Group was formerly assigned to the Upper Coal Measures.

How to check if a property is in a coal mining area?

You can check if a property is in a former coal mining area and order a mining report if it is. Property near to past mining activities may be at risk of being on unstable ground (sometimes called ‘subsidence’). A coal mining report gives information on: