Abandoned Coal Mine Plans for Great Britain from the Mining Remediation Authority

Plans of abandoned coal mines in Great Britain, deposited with the Mining Remediation Authority under the 1872 Coal Mines Regulation Act. The British Geological Survey holds a digital copy of the index and scans of these plans, as well as an incomplete disaster recovery copy of the microfiche of statutory mine abandonment plans.

Use Cases

• Assess subsidence risk for land development based on historical mine locations.
• Study the historical extent and methods of coal mining in Great Britain.
• Support environmental remediation planning for abandoned mine sites.
• Digitize and preserve historical geological and industrial records.

Strengths

• Plans are statutory documents deposited under the 1872 Coal Mines Regulation Act, providing legal and historical authority.
• Digital index and scans are held by the British Geological Survey, a national geological institution.
• Includes both a primary digital copy and a disaster recovery microfiche copy for preservation.

Limitations

• The disaster recovery copy of the microfiche is described as incomplete.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and file formats are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Mining Remediation Authority (MRA), held on behalf of the Health and Safety Executive.

Collection Method

Physical plans deposited with the MRA, with digital copies provided to the British Geological Survey.

Time Range

Plans relate to mines abandoned under legislation from at least 1872 onwards.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-08 13:32:04.951342; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Great Britain