Ram Hill Colliery, (grid referenceST679803) was a privately owned colliery in the Coalpit Heath area north-east of Bristol, England. It operated between about 1825 and 1865.
Ram Hill Colliery was sunk sometime between 1820 and 1830. It was owned by the Coalpit Heath Company, which included Sir John Smyth as a shareholder. Sir John was one of the main proponents of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Railway, which linked the pit and others in the area to Cuckolds Pill in Bristol.[1] At this date workable coal was dependent on a means of transport to market, so that the railway and the pit were interdependent.
Ram Hill was 558 ft deep and was originally worked by a horse gin, the remains of which were still visible in 2006. In later years it was worked by a beam engine. The pit was linked under ground to Churchleaze and Rose Oak Pits, forming the hub of 19th century coal mining in Westerleigh parish.
Abandonmentedit
Abandonment plans show that the colliery, along with other Coalpit Heath pits at Churchleaze and New Engine, closed in the 1860s as the nearby Frog Lane Colliery[2] increased production.
In later years land in the area was purchased by the Great Western Railway for the construction of their direct route between Wootton Bassett and the Severn Tunnel via Badminton. The new line passed through the area in a deep cutting immediately north of the pit.
Modern studiesedit
The site was rediscovered by local archaeologist and author John Cornwell in 1981 and has since been excavated, first by workers on a job creation scheme, and latterly by the "Friends of Ram Hill Colliery" who cleared the area of flora and removed two spoil heaps which were formed during earlier excavations.
Excavation of the Ram Hill site exposed more of the railway, including stone blocks with cast iron chairs in situ and the remains of a boiler house for a steam engine. Other remains at the site included the foundations of a horse gin and the uncapped shaft of the pit.
A geophysical survey, using resistivity, at Ram Hill Colliery has revealed clear traces of a reservoir in the northern corner of the site.[3]
In 2006 the Ram Hill Colliery site was designated by English Heritage as a Scheduled Ancient Monument, recognising the national importance of the site and protecting it in the future.[4]
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Ram Hill Colliery grid reference ST679803 was a privately owned colliery in the Coalpit Heath area north east of Bristol England It operated between about 1825 and 1865 vteRailways in the Bristol areaLegendCross Country RouteThornbury branch lineYate South Wales Main LineNew Passage Pier Westerleigh JunctionNew Passage Halt Cross Hands HaltSouth Wales Main Linevia Severn Tunnel PilningSevern Beach Coalpit HeathSevern View Industrial Park WinterbourneChittening Industrial Estate Bristol ParkwayPatchwaySmoke Lane Industrial Estate Ram Hill CollieryChittening PlatformHallen HaltAvonmouth Docks HenburySt Andrews Road Charlton HaltAvonmouth BPR amp P North Filton PlatformAvonmouth Royal Edward Stoke Gifford depotAvonmouth Docks Westerleigh Goods DepotAvonmouthAvonmouth Light Railway Filton JunctionAvonmouth Docks FiltonPortway Park amp Ride Filton Abbey WoodShirehampton HorfieldSea Mills Ashley HillClifton Down Tunnel Mangotsfield 1845 1869 Clifton Down Mangotsfield 1869 1966 Redland Staple HillMontpelier FishpondsHotwells Halt WarmleyHotwells Narroways Hill JunctionStapleton Road sidingsGrey line represents Stapleton Roadboundary of Bristol Oldland Commonunitary authority area Avon Valley RailwayLawrence HillWaste depot BittonBristol St Philip s Barton Hill DepotSt Mary Redcliffe tunnel Avon RiversideBristol Temple Meads Bristol Temple MeadsPrinces Wharf KelstonBristol Harbour Railway St Philip s Marsh T amp RSMDSS Great Britain East DepotBristol Docks North BedminsterBristol Docks South Parson StreetCREATE Centre Mangotsfield to Bath lineSouth Liberty Lane DepotAshton Gate St Anne s ParkClifton Bridge BrislingtonNightingale Valley Halt Long AshtonHam Green Halt Bristol Exeter linePill Whitchurch HaltPortbury shipyard KeynshamRoyal Portbury Dock Bristol amp North Somerset RlyPortbury Shipyard SaltfordPortbury Great Western Main Line 1954 1964 PortisheadWeston Clevedon andPortishead Light Railway 1879 1954 PortisheadPortishead PiervteBristol and Gloucester RailwayLegendGloucester Newport line SWR to NewportGloucesterBirmingham amp Gloucester Rly MR to Birmingham M5 HaresfieldGolden Valley line GWR to SwindonStonehouse Bristol Road Stonehouse amp Nailsworth Rly MR to Nailsworth StroudStroudwater NavigationFrocesterCam amp DursleyCoaley JunctionDursley amp Midland Junction Rly MR to Dursley M5 Berkeley RoadSharpness branch line MR to Sharpness M5 CharfieldWickwarWickwar TunnelThornbury branch line MR to ThornburyYateWesterleigh JunctionSouth Wales Main Line GWR to London PaddingtonCoalpit Heath SidingsRam Hill CollieryWesterleigh Goods Depot M4 Bristol Parkway Mangotsfield amp Bath branch line MR to BathSouth Wales Main Line GWR to Swansea MangotsfieldGoods lineto Avonmouth docks Staple HillStaple Hill TunnelFilton Abbey Wood FishpondsAvonside Locomotive WorksClifton Extension Rly GWR amp MR to Avonmouth Kingswood JunctionRiver Frome Atlas Locomotive Worksand collieries M32 Stapleton RoadLawrence HillWaste DepotGoods DepotsBristol St Philip sBristol Harbour River Avon from Bath GWR Temple MeadsGoods Depot Great Western Main Lineto London PaddingtonBristol Temple MeadsBridge over Victoria Streettunnel underSt Mary Redcliffe churchyardBristol Harbour Railway St Philip s Marsh depotRiver Avon to the sea Bristol amp North Somerset Rly GWR Bristol and Exeter Railway GWR to Taunton and Exeter Contents 1 General description 2 Abandonment 3 Modern studies 4 Other Coal Mines 5 ReferencesGeneral description editRam Hill Colliery was sunk sometime between 1820 and 1830 It was owned by the Coalpit Heath Company which included Sir John Smyth as a shareholder Sir John was one of the main proponents of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Railway which linked the pit and others in the area to Cuckolds Pill in Bristol 1 At this date workable coal was dependent on a means of transport to market so that the railway and the pit were interdependent Ram Hill was 558 ft deep and was originally worked by a horse gin the remains of which were still visible in 2006 In later years it was worked by a beam engine The pit was linked under ground to Churchleaze and Rose Oak Pits forming the hub of 19th century coal mining in Westerleigh parish Abandonment editAbandonment plans show that the colliery along with other Coalpit Heath pits at Churchleaze and New Engine closed in the 1860s as the nearby Frog Lane Colliery 2 increased production In later years land in the area was purchased by the Great Western Railway for the construction of their direct route between Wootton Bassett and the Severn Tunnel via Badminton The new line passed through the area in a deep cutting immediately north of the pit Modern studies editThe site was rediscovered by local archaeologist and author John Cornwell in 1981 and has since been excavated first by workers on a job creation scheme and latterly by the Friends of Ram Hill Colliery who cleared the area of flora and removed two spoil heaps which were formed during earlier excavations Excavation of the Ram Hill site exposed more of the railway including stone blocks with cast iron chairs in situ and the remains of a boiler house for a steam engine Other remains at the site included the foundations of a horse gin and the uncapped shaft of the pit A geophysical survey using resistivity at Ram Hill Colliery has revealed clear traces of a reservoir in the northern corner of the site 3 In 2006 the Ram Hill Colliery site was designated by English Heritage as a Scheduled Ancient Monument recognising the national importance of the site and protecting it in the future 4 Other Coal Mines editChurchleaze mine is described at New Engine nbsp Site of Churchleaze No 1 Pit See Ram Hill For the nearby Ram Hill Engine Pit Churchleaze No 1 Pit and Churchleaze No 2 Pit see Ram Hill Serridge Engine Pit Orchard or Middle Wimsey Pit No 11 Pit and New Engine Pit were situated in the neighbouring hamlet of Henfield References edit Peter Lawson Walking the Dramway Tempus Publishing Limited Stroud 2006 ISBN 07524 4134 5 Frog Lane colliery Ram Hill archaeology project South Gloucestershire Council Archived from the original on 8 January 2009 Retrieved 28 September 2007 Ram Hill Colliery newsletter South Gloucestershire Council Archived from the original on 2 December 2008 Retrieved 28 September 2007 The Bristol Coalfield by John Cornwell 51 31 14 N 2 27 51 W 51 520433 N 2 464070 W 51 520433 2 464070 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ram Hill Colliery amp oldid 1137260957, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
