Coal mining in Britain dates back to Roman times, but it truly flourished during the Industrial Revolution, powering factories, railways, and ships. Regions like Northumberland, Durham, Wales, and Yorkshire became industrial strongholds, with hundreds of thousands employed in the mines.

South Wales, with its rich seams of anthracite and steam coal, became one of the most vital coalfields in the world, powering ships, factories, and cities across the British Empire. Coal’s dominance began to wane in the mid-20th century. Though nationalised in 1947, the industry faced growing competition from oil and gas, and by the 1970s, environmental concerns and economic shifts accelerated its decline. The last deep coal mine in Britain, Kellingley Colliery, closed in 2015, marking the symbolic end of an era. Yet the legacy of coal lives on, in the communities it built, the struggles it inspired, and the energy it once gave to a rising industrial nation.