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Coal Mining in the UK Portal

The National Coal Board (NCB) was the Statutory Corporation created to run the nationalised British coal mining industry. It was created in 1947 as part of Clement Attlee's Labour Government's nationalisation of industries. Coal mining employed over 700,000 people in 1950, but successive governments reduced the size of the industry. Closures were originally concentrated in Scotland, but then moved into the North-East, Lancashire and South Wales, and then into all the other coalfields in the 1980s. In 1987 the NCB became the British Coal Corporation. With the passing of the Coal Industry Act in 1994 the industry-wide administrative functions of British Coal were transferred to a new Coal Authority, with its assets being privatised, most notably its English assets being merged with RJB Mining to form UK Coal plc. By the time of privatisation, only 15 pits were left in production.

By 1984, the British mining industry was the most productive in the world. Despite its long-standing success, demand for British coal was frustrated by the huge subsidies that other governments gave to their coal industries. Germany subsidised coal by four times as much and France by three times as much in 1984.

Coal mines had been taken into government control during the First and Second World Wars. A royal commission in 1919 gave R.H. Tawney, Sidney Webb and Sir Leo Chiozza Money the opportunity publicy to advocate nationalisation. Clement Attlee's post-war Labour government nationalised many industries, and the NCB was created on 1 January 1947.

The NCB suffered three strikes. The 1972 and 1974 strikes were both over pay and both saw success for the NUM. The Miner's strike of 1984-5 ended in victory for the government and is still bitterly resented in some parts of Britain.

The NCB used many industrial locomotives, many of them bought from British Railways, including this ex-Great Western Railway 5700 Class pannier tank number 7754, which is preserved

The NCB operated extensive industrial railways at their collieries, employing steam traction until the late 1970s/early 1980s.

The NCB's research establishment at Stoke Orchard in Gloucestershire was founded in 1950 with Jacob Bronowski as Director of Research. It closed following privatisation of the coal mining industry.

• Energy policy of the United Kingdom
• Energy use and conservation in the United Kingdom
• UK topics

• National Coal Mining Museum for England
• Durham Mining Museum list of pits in Northern England
• North Staffs pics

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