Explore the history of Snibston
Table of Contents
George Stephenson and Snibston Collieries –
A “Most Profitable Enterprise”
George Stephenson, Snibston Collieries and the beginning of Coalville
Prior to 1835 Coalville didn’t exist. In the early 1800s two coalmines were sunk in the area which was known as Long Lane. Whitwick Colliery was sunk and owned by William Stenson, with his partners Joseph Whetstone and Samuel Harris. The Snibston Collieries were sunk and owned by George Stephenson and his partners Sir Joshua Walmsley and Joseph Sandars. The first time the name of this small mining village was recorded as Coalville was in 1835.
These pits were named Whitwick Colliery and Snibston Colliery because they were in the parishes of Whitwick and Snibston, two of the four parishes that, with Swannington and Hugglescote, made up the town of Coalville.
Stenson’s Whitwick Colliery started producing coal in 1828, but he had a problem getting his coal into Leicester where it could be transferred to the canal network. As there were no canals in or near Coalville, he had to use pack horses to move his coal. These were slow and costly. The answer was to build a railway from the Leicestershire Coalfield, which in 1830 was called the Ashby Coalfield, to Leicester.
In 1827 Stenson met George Stephenson at Stockton to see the Stockton and Darlington Railway, which opened in 1825, and to ask if he could build a railway from Swannington to Leicester. At the time George Stephenson was busy building the Liverpool and Manchester Railway and was unable to help.
Stenson persevered and was helped by John Ellis (later of Belgrave Hall in Leicester) who also wanted to build a railway from Swannington to Leicester. Ellis went to see George Stephenson in Liverpool in 1829. By this time the Liverpool to Manchester Railway was coming close to completion, and Stephenson agreed to build the Leicester to Swannington Railway.
Work on the railway began in 1830 but George insisted the railway would be built by his son Robert Stephenson as George was still busy with other railways. The Leicester and Swannington Railway Company agreed, and the railway was completed in 1833.
During construction Robert suggested to his father that he should sink a coalmine in what would become Coalville. George recognised the potential and bought the Snibston Estate which had been put on the market by the Fosbrooke family after the death of Leonard Fosbrooke. The estate cost £42,500, a lot of money in 1831, and he called on two of the directors at the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, Sir Joshua Walmsley and Joseph Sandars, to become partners.
The estate was bought in July 1831, and the Snibston Colliery Company was established. George moved into Alton House (also known as Alton Grange) in the parish of Ravenstone and lived there until 1838.
Snibston No. 1 and Snibston No. 2 Collieries
The first colliery to be sunk was Snibston No.1 which was quite close to Stenson’s Whitwick Colliery. Today the site is part of Terrex (Pegson’s) Engineering. Work on the mine started in 1832 and two shafts were sunk to the depth of around 450 ft (137m). During sinking they hit hard volcanic rock called ‘Greenstone’ which was about 21 ft (6.4m) thick. This was difficult and costly to dig through but Stephenson persevered and eventually hit coal. By 1833, the same year the Leicester and Swannington Railway opened, the mine was producing coal. Snibston No. 1 Colliery was located right on the very edge of the railway.
In 1834 the Company began a second mine, Snibston No. 2 Colliery, in a green field alongside the lane to Ashby. (Originally known as Long Lane this was now called Ashby Road). This second pit was off the Greenstone and didn’t experience the same problems as Snibston No. 1. Two shafts, 8ft (2.4m) in diameter located about 20ft (6m) apart in a tandem arrangement, were sunk to a depth of about 600ft (183m). By 1835 this mine was also producing coal.
To manage the pits, George Stephenson brought his brother James down from the northeast of England. James lived initially in a converted blacksmith’s shop in Hugglescote. By 1835 had built himself a house called ‘James’ Place’ adjacent to Snibston No. 2 Colliery. James stayed in what had now become Coalville. He died in 1847 and was buried at Coalville Christ Church.
In the early 1830s, apart from White Leys Farm, the Red House Inn, some housing at the Town Pump (today part of Hotel Street) tied to Stenson’s Whitwick Colliery, and a few cottages, Coalville didn’t exist. Stephenson had to build new houses for the miners and families he brought down from the Northeast to work in his Snibston Collieries.
The first housing Stephenson built was Mammoth Street and Stone Row. These houses were adjacent to Snibston No. 1 Colliery and are now demolished. When he opened Snibston No. 2 Colliery he built six rows of houses, a pub (Snibstone New Inn), an adult and children’s school and meeting hall (today the Ebenezer Church) and bakehouses for the cottages, all along Ashby Road.
At this time local men were working at the many mines around Swannington, Coleorton, Lount, Newbold, Heather and Ibstock. The new Snibston mines needed a new workforce. Stephenson was dismissive of the local miners who he thought were experienced and idle. He had been brought up and worked in the northeast coalfield around Walbottle, Wylam and Killingworth collieries. Stephenson trusted the men and families from the places he knew and encouraged them to come down to work in his collieries.
George Stephenson left Coalville in 1838 and moved to Tapton House in Chesterfield where he died in 1848. The Snibston Colliery Company continued to be run by Sir Joshua Walmsley and Joseph Sandars along with George’s son Robert Stephenson. Upon Robert’s death in 1859, his cousin George Robert Stephenson became the main shareholder and ran the company.
During the early 1860s the company carried out major improvements to Snibston No. 2 Colliery but closed Snibston No. 1 Colliery. Improvements included a new winding engine house and engine, headstocks, coal screens, locomotive shed and maintenance workshops. By the 1870s George Robert relinquished his lead on the company and sold it to the South Leicester Colliery company who had developed a new coalmine near to Ellistown.
Snibston No. 2 Colliery became known as simply Snibston Colliery and was owned by the South Leicester Colliery Company until the 1940s. Under the new owners the colliery developed further with new screens, wagon works, and in 1905 the installation of a mechanical steam fan. Prior to this, ventilation had been achieved with a furnace at the bottom of the upcast shaft known as the ‘Smokey Shaft’. The rising heat of the upcast furnace drew fresh air down the downcast shaft, called the ‘Rider Shaft’, from where it would be circulated around the pit using trap doors.
In 1914 a third shaft was added called ‘Stephenson Shaft’, this was 16ft (4.8m) diameter and was sunk to a depth of about 900 ft (274m). It was sunk at the beginning of the First World War to increase coal production for war demand.
After the war and during the 1920s, coal production slumped and development of the mine was minimal. By the 1930s, however, the locomotive shed had been extended, new pit top ‘cabins’ built and new screens erected with a new steel headstock erected over the ‘Rider’ and ‘Smokey’ shafts in 1940. Also, in 1940 new a Pit Head Bath was built on the Ashby Road opposite the Colliery. This was built and run by the miners through a membership subscription.
In 1947 the coal industry was nationalised to become the National Coal Board (NCB), and the South Leicester Colliery Company no longer existed. Throughout the 1950s there was little development, with the exception of a new store building, but plans were being developed for Snibston to become a ‘super pit’.
This began in 1962/63 with the sinking of a drift, an inclined shaft 2,500ft (762m) long, to a depth of about 900ft (274m) adjacent to No. 2 pit top. The drift connected Snibston to Whitwick Colliery and South Leicester Colliery. At Snibston a new coal preparation plant had been built. All the coal from these two collieries now travelled up the drift directly into the Coal Preparation Plant where the coal was washed, sorted, graded and loaded into railway wagons for market which was primarily the Central Electrical Generation Board and local power stations.
In 1962, the 1860s Robert Stephenson and Company steam winding engine was removed from No. 2 winding engine house and was replaced by an electric winding engine. In 1964 the steam winder in No. 1 winding engine house was also removed and was replaced by an electric winder. At this time the titles of the pit tops were changed. The Stephenson shaft and winding engine became No.1 pit top. The No. 1 shaft, the original George Stephenson pit top, became the No.2 pit top. The Smokey and Rider shafts became the No.2 and No. 3 shafts respectively.
The 1960s saw the building of a new administration block that contained a state-of-the-art control room from where two men could control the mine. Additional development included underground conveyors and coal bunkers, a new lamp room with both flame lamp room and electric lamp room, Deputies’ and Managers’ shower blocks, an aviary room, survey offices and general offices as well as a Medical Centre. The site was also reorganised with a new engineers’ workshop and storage compound.
This massive restructure and investment paid off. With the development of new coalfaces using state-of-the-art mining equipment Snibston became a ‘Super Pit’ producing over a million tons of coal a year.
The final site development was the building of a Rexco coal coking plant in 1971. This was never a success and had closed by the late 1970s. Snibston also saw the world’s first ‘Silent Fan’ and house replacing the in-shaft fans. The in-shaft fans had been installed in the 1950s/60s and had in turn replaced the steam fan installed in 1905. The silent fan was installed to reduce the noise of the fan which worked 24 hours a day, 7 days per week and 52 weeks a year and created noise ‘pollution’ for the residents on Ashby Road.
But Snibston’s glory days were coming to an end. In 1983 the colliery stopped producing coal but was kept open because the coal from Whitwick and South Leicester Collieries was still travelling up the draft into the Snibston Preparation Plant. Snibston’s final closure came in 1986 when Whitwick and South Leicester Collieries were closed making Snibston’s drift and Preparation Plant redundant.
During 1986 the shafts and drift were capped and the Coal Preparation Plant demolished but Snibston had a new life on the horizon. In December 1986 Leicestershire County Council bought the 100 acres that made up the colliery site and waste tip. The colliery buildings were preserved and part of the waste tip transformed into a new country park with fishing lakes and nature trails. Part of the waste tip adjacent to the colliery was also removed to provide a site for a new science and industry museum, the largest purpose-built science and industry museum in the country. In 1992 the museum opened and, as part of the museum complex, the colliery buildings were opened up for colliery tours guided by former miners.
In 1999 Historic England recognised the importance of Snibston Colliery. It had become one of only five historic coalmines in the country that were almost complete. Historic England designated both pit tops as scheduled monuments and gave grade II listing to the other colliery buildings, protecting the site for future generations.
Sadly, the museum was closed in 2015 and demolished in 2016, but the site remains scheduled and listed. Between 2019 and 2021 the country park underwent refurbishment. An independent Snibston Heritage Trust was established in 2020 to keep the colliery buildings open to the public and promote the history of Leicestershire coalmining.
Today there are no coalmines in Leicestershire. The last working deep mine, Bagworth Colliery, closed in 1991 but, through collaboration and cooperation, Snibston Heritage Trust and Leicestershire County Council are keeping alive the mining heritage of the nation, Leicestershire and Snibston.
Mine Machinery Display
Discover the historic coalmining machinery, which can be seen, free of charge, during Snisbton Colliery Park opening times.
The machines were collected as the local mines were closing in the late 1980s/early 1990s and are now rare examples of the types of equipment used in the Leicestershire and South Derbyshire coalfield.
View our Youtube channel to see the machines preserved and the machines story.
The machines are currently being restored by the Snibston Heritage Trust volunteers with assistance from the Probation Service Community Service programme.
Table of Contents
1825
George Stephenson builds the Stockton and Darlington Railway opens this year
1826
George Stephenson starts building the Liverpool and Manchester Railway
1827
William Stenson meets George Stephenson at Stockton to ask if he could build a railway from Swannington to Leicester
1828
Stenson’s Whitwick Colliery starts producing coal
1829
John Ellis of Leicester goes to see George Stephenson in Liverpool
1830
Work begins on the Leicester and Swannington Railway from the ‘Ashby Coalfield’ to Leicester and built by Robert Stephenson
1831
George Stephenson buys the Snibston Estate and establishes the Snibston Colliery Company with Sir Joshua Walmsley and Joseph Sandars. George also bringing his brother James from the Northeast to manage the collieries
1831
George Stephenson moves from Liverpool to Alton House (Grange) in Ravenstone
1833
The Leicester and Swannington Railway is completed and Snibston No.1 is producing coal
1835
Snibston No. 2 Colliery is producing coal
1850s
Snibston No.3 Colliery opens
1860s
Major improvements to Snibston No. 2 Colliery
1870s
George Robert Stephenson sells Snibston No.2 to the South Leicester Colliery Company
1905
A mechanical steam fan is installed and replaces the furnace at the bottom of Smokey shaft
1914
A third shaft called ‘Stephenson Shaft’ is sunk
1930s
Locomotive shed extended, new pit top with new lamp and deputies’ cabins built and new screens erected
1940
New steel headstock erected over the ‘Rider’ and ‘Smokey’ shafts
1947
Coal industry nationalised and becomes the National Coal Board (NCB)
1962
Drift completed and links Whitwick and South Leicester Collieries to Snibston
1964
Steam winder in No. 1 winding engine house replaced by an electric winder
Late 1960s
A state-of-the-art coal preparation plant is completed for sorting, washing and loading the coal into railway wagons destined for the local power stations
1971
Rexco coal coking plant is built
1970s
Snibston has become a ‘super pit’
1975
World’s first ‘Silent Ventilation Fan’ replaces nosy ‘in-shaft’ mechanical fans
1986
Whitwick and South Leicester Collieries close making Snibston’s drift and Preparation Plant redundant
1986
Shafts and drift filled in and capped and Coal Preparation Plant demolished
1986
Leicestershire County Council buys the 100-acre site for a country park, new science and industry museum and preserves the remaining colliery buildings
1992
Snibston Discovery Park opens, later renamed Snibston Discovery Museum
1999 & 2015
Historic England designates pit tops as scheduled monuments and gives grade II listing to the other colliery buildings
2016
Museum demolished but colliery buildings remain scheduled and listed
2022
Snibston Colliery reopens to the public with its popular Colliery Tours
Leicestershire Mining in 10 objects
A Selection of the 10 most significant pieces of mining history associated with Snibston Colliery.
‘Geordie’ flame miners’ safety lamp
Often called a ‘Davy Lamp,’ the ‘flame safety lamp’ was invented in 1815 by two people independently. Sir Humphrey Davy, a London scientist, had never been into a coalmine. George Stephenson began work in the pits at the age of 9. Leicestershire lamps were the Stephenson type and called ‘Geordie Lamps’. Originally taken underground by miners working in gaseous pits, the lamp would indicate gas which could be harmful to the miner. In later years Deputies would use them to test for gas before the shift started.
Mine Tally
Each miner had two tallies stamped with a unique number. At the top of the shaft the miner handed one tally to the ‘Banksman’ who sent it to the ‘Tally Man’ who placed it on the tally board to show the miner was underground. The miner kept the other tally on his person. On returning to the surface, the miner handed their second tally to the Banksman. The Tally Man then placed it on the board with the other tally. A single tally at the end of a shift meant the miner was still underground and needed to be found.
Self-rescuer
Since 1967 it is the law that every miner must carry a ‘self-rescuer’ underground. This will save their lives in the event of a fire underground. When placed in the mouth it filters out the carbon monoxide allowing the miner to breathe safely in reduced oxygen. The smoke and gases are filtered through a chemical called hopcolite. This gives the miner about 40 minutes to get out of the mine. The only drawback is the hot air the miner breathes burns the back of their throats, but it is better than being dead.
Spirit burner & needle
The mine’s nurse used these small but important pieces of medical equipment to relieve the excruciating pain of a ‘black fingernail’. Miners would often trap or bang their fingernails causing bleeding underneath the nail. The spirit burner has a canister of inflammable spirit and a wick. The Nurse sterilised the point of a sharp needle in the flame of the spirit burner then punctured the nail allowing the blood to escape, usually in a fountain! This eased the pain and the miner returned to work.
Star – the Pit Pony
Pit ponies worked at Snibston from the 1840s to the early 1970s moving coal and materials underground. Colts started work at 4 years of age, working until they were 15 to 20. They were well looked after and well fed but lived underground for 51 weeks a year coming to the surface during the mine’s summer holiday closure. Before the 1970s, this was usually for one week. Ponies were replaced with underground locomotives, fixed haulage engines and the Schwartz Holywell Mule. All can be seen on the colliery tour.
Cage Stretcher
If a miner were badly injured underground a stretcher like this, made of canvas and split cane, was sent down with the mine’s nurse. She would give treatment underground ranging from wound dressing to amputation if required. Mining was the only industry allowed to administer morphine. The stretcher and miner would be slowly raised by the winder and taken in the mine’s own ambulance to hospital. A miner who had received morphine would have a W marked on his head, so the hospital knew that it had been given.
Cap Lamp & Helmet
On the surface your eyes can adjust to the least amount of light. Underground there is absolutely no light making it impossible to see. The miner carried a candle, oil lamp, flame safety lamp, or carbide lamp. A modern coalmine has fixed electric lights in the main roadways but not at the coalface. From the 1950s the miner had an electric lamp fixed to their hard hat and powered by a battery attached to their waist belt. The lamp had two bulbs, a powerful main beam and a dip to avoid dazzling other miners.
PHB Soap And Fairy Liquid
Pit Head Bath soap was used in the pit head showers. At the end of a shift, black with coal dust, each miner takes off his work clothes and places them in a locker to dry overnight for the next day. The miner soaps himself down under the hot water or uses Fairy Liquid to remove the stubborn coal dust. The only way you are going to get your back clean is by one of your mates cleaning it for you! Once clean and dried, the miner goes to the clean side of the bath house to get his street clothes from another locker.
DAC – Distributed Amplifier Communication system
The DAC is part of the underground communication system. It allows a miner to talk to the control room about any problems underground or to request mining supplies. Equally, if the control room suspects a machine is not working correctly, the controllers can ask the miners underground to check on the equipment. The DAC can also relay football scores, racing results and, if a miner is stuck on a job, they can ‘patch’ him through to his wife at home so she can delay his dinner. No-one likes chunky gravy!
Canary
From the 1900s it was mandatory to keep and take a singing bird, often a canary, underground. Small birds breathe rapidly and are affected by poisonous gases sooner than a human. Miners are alerted when the canary stops singing, passes out and falls to the floor of the bird cage. The bird seldom dies as the miner will then take the bird into clean air where it recovers and sings again. If a coalmine fails to keep an aviary of small birds, the Mines Inspectorate can close it down until the manager replaces them.