The Nailsea Coalfield is an outlying section of the much larger Somerset and Bristol Coalfield, and mining in Nailsea started in the early 16th century, when coal was transported from Nailsea to Yatton to be burnt in a limekiln. In total there were 10 workable coal seams.
Some of Nailsea's mines were privately owned, but many were run by or associated with one particular company, White & Co, which was a 3 man partnership, which John Robert Lucas later bought into before setting up a glassworks in Nailsea, which provided a market for the coal.
Power for winding the mines was initially provided by horses, with steam pumping engines introduced in the mid-18th century. This enabled the mining of coal measures, which previously couldn't be exploited due to flooding. Horses continued to be used for winding purposes until well into the 19th Century.
Tramways were built to link up some of the collieries (Youngwood/Whiteoak and Grace’s/West End) with the main railway line, which reached Nailsea in the 1840s.
Most of the coal produced was sold locally to heat houses and churches in the town and surrounding villages, to fire local lime kilns, to power the Nailsea Glassworks and in the pits themselves to fire the steam engines.
I have waypointed the a small winding tower, complete with horse whim, which was once part of the Old Glasshous Pit. There is no information to gather here, but it is the best example of Nailsea's coal mining past. Also waypointed is further information about Nailsea's coal and glasswork past outside the local supermarket, which may be of interest, but again no information to gather here.
The starting co-ords take you to an information board where you need to find the following information:
The last 2 digits of the year which the last coal pit closed = AB
The depth of Golden Valley Pit = CDE
The final cache can be found at N51 B (C-1) . A A (B+D+1) W002 (B+D) (B+D) . (A-1) (C-2) (A+((B/D))
The cache is on a public footpath. There is no need to enter any property to retrieve it.
