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Monument details

HER Number:TR 24 NE 29
Type of record:Monument
Name:Guilford colliery

Summary

Three shafts were sunk, from 1906 onwards, but are now sealed off. The brick engine house, workshops, offices and the powder magazine still survive. The colliery was finally abandoned in 1921, without mining any coal, after attempting to resolve the problem from water ingress between 1919 and 1920. The colliery at Coldred is overgrown.

Grid Reference:TR 2810 4695
Map Sheet:TR24NE
Parish:SHEPHERDSWELL WITH COLDRED, DOVER, KENT

Monument Types

  • COLLIERY (COLLIERY, Post Medieval to Modern - 1900 AD to 2000 AD)
  • ENGINE HOUSE (Post Medieval to Modern - 1900 AD to 2000 AD)
  • WINDER HOUSE (WINDER HOUSE, Post Medieval to Modern - 1900 AD to 2000 AD)
  • WORKSHOP (WORKSHOP, Post Medieval to Modern - 1900 AD to 2000 AD)
  • MAGAZINE (MAGAZINE, Modern - 1901 AD to 2000 AD)

Full description

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TR 280470. Abandoned colliery at Coldred. The remains of Guilford Colliery are on a narrow road running north west from Whitfield. From1906 onwards three shafts were sunk but are now sealed off inside circular brick walls 6 ft high; the foundations of the engine house for these shafts remain but the whole of this area is heavily overgrown and very difficult of access. The most prominent feature ofthe site is a very large and handsome brick engine house (see illustration card) south east of the remains just mentioned in fairly good condition with all the supporting walls for the engine and winding gear. The shaft for this would have been on the south west side but was never sunk. The workshops in fairly good condition, and the offices, rather derelict, still remain, also the powder magazine, a small brick building, 300 yrds to the west. Two of the shafts were sunk to a depth of c.1250 ft and a borehole was sunk to 1346 ft without reaching the coal measures. Severe trouble from water ingresswas always experienced and 'cementation' was tried unsuccessfully between 1919 and 1920 before the site was finally abandoned in 1921 without mining any coal. (1) (TR 28104695) Mine (disused) (NAT) (2)


<1> Ind Arch od SE Eng 1978 32-33 (A J Haselfoot) (OS Card Reference). SKE44211.

<2> OS 1:10000 1976 (OS Card Reference). SKE48161.

Sources and further reading

Cross-ref. Source description
<1>XYOS Card Reference: Ind Arch od SE Eng 1978 32-33 (A J Haselfoot). [Mapped feature: #45952 colliery, ]
<2>OS Card Reference: OS 1:10000 1976.

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