The Bristol and Gloucester Railway (engineer = I K Brunel) opened in 1844
completing the link from Exeter to Newcastle upon Tyne. Charfield Station
(not far from the Cromhall colliery site) included a "Coal Wharf". The
remains of this still exist.
As much as I'd like to be able to say Cromhall was "sending coal to
Newcastle" it is more likely coal was beeing imported, much of which may
have been used for the wollen mills in nearby Wotton-Under-Edge.
I have heard it said (but not found written reference) that the introduction
of railways to an area reduced the price of coal by about 50%. They were
therefore a mixed blessing since where they brought means of transport to
some mines and increased their life span and profitability, to others they
represented increased competition. Is this true?
The Cromhall Colliery continued to opperate posible for another ten years.
There is a link between the owners of the Wollen mills and the mine which
may account for this.
As part of my research into Cromhall Colliery I am therefore also interested
in The Coal Wharf (in Charfield) and Wollen Mills in the Wotton-Under-Edge
area.
Any comments or sources would be appreciated
Whilst on the subject has anybody got any sources or references for
limestone quarrying in the Cromhall area (there is a link between the
coalmine and the limeworks). The quarrying I refer to is open cast
carboniferous limestone quarrying not "stone mines" so the link to mining is
only slender. Rather than burden the mining history pages with details not
particularly relavent to mining you could email me direct
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Any comments would be appreciated
DAVID Hardwick
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