The Mining Remediation Authority's collection of more than 120,000 coal mine plans, dating as far back as the 17th century. These cover surface mining, also known as opencast, and deep mining operations, depicting areas of coal extraction and the point of entry into the seam. The plans provide essential information about the history and legacy of coal mining across Great Britain.
Common key features of mine plans can include:
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The extent of the workings (in one or more seams) at the time of the plan construction are typically illustrated as coloured areas or outlines that can have an explanatory legend somewhere on the map to help with identification.
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The location of mine entries (shafts and adits) can be illustrated using a wide variety of symbology from circles to rectangles. Care must be taken to not mis-identify them as surface features such as wells, chimneys, underground shafts between seams that do not reach the surface (often referred to as staple shafts), or even, overlying text.
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Descriptive information such as colliery name, seams worked, map scale, map orientation (north arrow), and legend.
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Surface features are common to many plans and were used to reference mining features to. Such features that may stand the tests of time are churches, field boundaries, and some road and rail networks.
In November 2024, the Coal Authority changed its name to the Mining Remediation Authority to better reflect its mission and continued commitment to environmental sustainability, safety, and community support.