History of the BGS Mine Plans Search

Background to maps held by the British Geological Survey

Mining has occurred in Great Britain since approximately 2700 BCE. A diverse range of minerals has been extracted by underground mining, from industrial minerals such as limestone to precious metals like gold. Plans, sections and shaft information exist, recording many of these workings. However, with the exception of coal mining, there has been no coordinated effort to catalogue and create a national database of these records. A variety of collections, catalogues and indexes exist in disparate public and private hands but individually, these cover only parts of the total holding (thought to be in excess of 40 000 documents).

Historical mining plan of Gas Water baryte mine, near Cumnock, East Ayrshire. BGS © UKRI.

Background to the Mining Remediation Authority’s Abandoned Mines Catalogue

Coal mining has long shaped the landscape of Great Britain with extensive underground extraction of coal and associated minerals taking place across England, Scotland, and Wales. Over this long history, thousands of mine plans were created – ranging from early, minimal sketches to detailed, standardised surveys – to record the location of workings, shafts, roadways, and geological features. These documents form an essential record of what lies beneath the ground.

Legal requirements to produce and deposit coal mine abandonment plans began in the 19th century and were strengthened through successive mining regulation and legislation. As a result, a substantial national archive of coal-related plans was amassed, later inherited and safeguarded by the Mining Remediation Authority (formerly the Coal Authority), and providing the most comprehensive and coherent dataset of underground working records available in Great Britain. Today the collection contains over 120,500 scanned plans representing centuries of coal mining activity, each varying in style, completeness, and accuracy depending on the era, surveying practices, and purpose for which it was created.

As well as being historical documents, such plans remain pertinent today in supporting safer land development, environmental management, academic research, and a deeper understanding of Britain’s industrial past.

A comprehensive guide to understanding coal mine plans and orientating them has been produced and made available here.

Legislation

Prior to 1840, there was no requirement for mining plans to be prepared and it was not until 1850 that the Inspection of Coal Mines Act 1850 required a coal mine owner to keep a plan at each mine.

In 1872, the Coal Mines Regulation Act and the Metalliferous Mines Regulation Act made the deposition of plans of abandoned mines with the Secretary of State a statutory requirement. Non-coal mines were not required to deposit plans if there had been less than 12 men employed below ground and this relaxation was perpetuated in all subsequent legislation until 1993. All that was required to be shown on these plans were the boundaries of the mine workings up to the time of abandonment. There was no requirement for orientation with the surface, depth of workings or section extracted information to be shown.

Force Crag Mine, Braithwaite, Cumbria. BGS © UKRI.

Gaps in our knowledge

It is unfortunate that many thousands of workings had been abandoned by the time this legislation was introduced and the knowledge and understanding of those unrecorded workings were, in many cases, lost forever. It is also worth noting that the earlier mine plans would have been produced using simple surveying equipment, which did not give the accuracy expected in mine plans of today.

Many records relating to mining, particularly those which occurred prior to 1872, are likely to be incomplete and unreliable. Users should always seek professional advice from a suitably qualified mining surveyor or engineer before relying on the information contained within the records.

Hazards

Underground mining activity leaves subsurface voids and understanding their presence helps to ensure that land and property are managed safely and with confidence. Awareness of how historical workings may influence ground conditions also supports informed decision-making for property owners, developers, and communities. In some areas, spoil from former mineral workings can interact with local environmental conditions, so recognising these features contributes to effective land stewardship.

If you need to raise a concern relating to former coal mining activity, you can contact the Mining Remediation Authority on 0800 288 4242 (available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week). Examples of issues that people typically report include changes around former mine entries, unexpected ground movement, or gas or water emerging from an unsealed abandoned mine.

Mining records can provide valuable cultural and historical insight into past mineral extraction and remain an important resource for geological surveying and scientific research. Whilst this information supports a range of disciplines, maintaining public safety, supporting long-term resilience of land and infrastructure, and helping to uphold confidence in property use are key drivers for developing a consistent and accessible national database of mine plans.

History of coal mining plans

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