2021

NS9958 : Harwood Colliery Mine Entrance

taken 3 years ago, near to Woolfords Cottages, South Lanarkshire, Scotland

Harwood Colliery Mine Entrance
Harwood Colliery Mine Entrance
If you're feeling a bit down, the bleak and barren Pates Hill Windfarm probably isn't the best place for a day out! The seven turbines are spaced apart on a very long loop and two former mine entrances, of which this is one, in a fenced-off enclosure, are the only things of note.
Though sometimes mistakenly referred to as an oil shale mine this was a coal mine, and operated between 1946 and 1959, employing just under 200 men at its peak. It seemed to provide all grades of common coals, it's output being listed as steam coal, manufacturing coal, and house coal. Whether steam coal was originally used for steam trains, or for steam-powered power stations is unclear from basic research, as is the difference in quality between steam and manufacturing coal. However it is definite that so-called house coal would be the hardest of the three. The harder the coal is the more heat it provides per weight and volume, and due to harder coal containing less impurities, it gives off far less smoke.
The modern classifications of coal (though two of these aren't strictly speaking actually ever referred to as coal) are as follows :
1) PEAT. Its burning used to be commonplace in areas where it exists.
2) LIGNITE. This is compressed peat. There are extensive amounts of it in the UK but it has hardly ever been mined to any great extent. Unless, say, a power plant, was situated next to a lignite mine, it would be economically unviable, as the transportation costs would far outweigh the profit made from burning it, it giving out very little heat per weight and volume.
3) SUB-BITUMINOUS. This is the lowest grade of commonly mined coal - low calorific (or energy) content, riddled with impurities, and burns with a filthy polluting smoke. Both this soft coal, and the softer lignite, are both sometimes referred to as brown coal.
4) BITUMINOUS. Higher grade industrial coal.
5) ANTHRACITE. A lot of modern-day smokeless coal is hard anthracite. It can have up to 98% carbon content, and due to it being so pure, it gives off more heat than other coals with virtually no smoke.
6) GRAPHITE. Mostly found in pencils!

Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Ian Dodds and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Geographical Context: Energy infrastructure Quarrying, Mining Derelict, Disused Primary Subject: Mine
This photo is linked from: Automatic Clusters: · Pate's Hill Power Station [5] · Pates Hill Windfarm [4] · Areas [2] · Manufacturing Coal [2] · Peat [2] ·
1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
+
1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
TIP: Click the map for more Large scale mapping
Grid Square
NS9958, 15 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Ian Dodds   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Saturday, 10 April, 2021   (more nearby)
Submitted
Saturday, 10 April, 2021
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! NS 9995 5878 [10m precision]
WGS84: 55:48.7132N 3:35.8828W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! NS 9995 5878
View Direction
NORTH (about 0 degrees)
Clickable map
+
NW N NE
W Go E
SW S SE
Image Type (about): geograph 
This page has been viewed about 58 times
You are not logged in login | register