Ellington seems to get top marks from everyone for the maximum distance
off shore in the UK even if the distances vary. I was interested in
Andrew's description and followed it on an OS map. A friend who visited
the mine about 6 years ago says the workings were pillar and stall and
that he was told they were <60m below the seabed.
I have been given maps of the Durham off shore mine areas and it's now
clear to me that some of these (Easington, Wearmouth, & Westoe) also
beat the Whitehaven mines on the basis of furthest out work to closest
shore. It appears to me that the route by road normally exceeds this
distance, either because of dog legs or because of nearby coastal
projections.
The maps also seem to indicate that most of the extraction of coal off
Durham has taken place fairly near to the shore (say within 4.5km) and
that the more extreme distances are fairly recent.
Would it be reasonable to say that before nationalisation the Whitehaven
mines went furthest? If so Why? Was it because during private ownership
owners had to mine the land they had rights to even if this was not the
easiest source? (The Whitehaven mines sound particularly dangerous.) Or
was it simply that there was no need to go out to sea in Durham until on
land resources had been used?
Edgar
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