Upper Hirst
Encyclopedia
The Upper Hirst is a coal seam in central
Scotland
that was mined in the 1950s through to 2002, mainly to supply Kincardine Power Station
, and later, Longannet Power Station
, in Fife
.
This was a low-quality coal, unsuitable for most other purposes, and had mostly been disregarded previously. However, its low sulfur
content made it very suitable for power station use.
The Upper Hirst coal is found within the Upper Limestone Group of strata, above the Limestone Coal Group, but below the Productive Coal Measures. The latter two groups of strata may be separated by up to 1000 metres. In the Central Coal Field, which is in the form of a basin, the Productive Coal Measures, if they were ever deposited, have been lost by erosion except near the centre, where they outcrop near Alloa
and Clackmannan
, and have been mined until recently. The Limestone Coal Group of strata have been mined only around the edge of the basin, although in the 1950s there were plans for deep mines at Airth
, where two large shafts were constructed to rockhead and then abandoned, and at Gartarry Toll, which was not begun.
At Manor Powis, for example, the useful seams in the Limestone Coal Group were at a depth of about 400 metres, and included valuable anthracite, however the Upper Hirst was above this and as well as being mined at mid-shaft in the old colliery, was reached by a pair of sloping adits constructed near the bank of the River Forth
. The slope of the seam was followed for some distance down the dip of the basin, to the east.
The Upper Hirst was initially mined experimentally at the site of Bannockburn
colliery by a small drift mine, then at mid-shaft in Polmaise 3/4 (commonly called Fallin
), Manor Powis, and later the drift mines at Dollar
and Bogside, to supply Kincardine Power Station
, but when Longannet Power Station
was built, an innovative scheme was developed to mine the coal at Dollar, Castlehill and Solsgirth, and bring the coal from Solsgirth, Bogside and Castlehill to the surface by conveyor at Longannet, immediately adjacent to the power station. Bogside, on the eastern extremity of the basin, could access the coal at no great depth, and it was worked down the dip to the west, via a large, deep shaft at Castlehill, which was latterly used for personnel access, the coal all emerging at Longannet, except that from Dollar, which due to faulting could not be economically linked to the main conveyor system.
This scheme was a great success, although the focus of mining shifted to the south as the Dollar basin was exhausted. Eventually coal was being extracted from south of the River Forth
, and there were adequate reserves to last for at least the predicted lifetime of Longannet Power Station
. However, a disastrous flood on 23 March 2002 terminated production of the Upper Hirst coal, and brought deep mining in Scotland to an end.
The source of the flooding was allegedly the failure of a dam constructed to keep water which accumulated in the old workings to the north out of the working part of the mine, however there are substantial gaps in the known facts. A local mine manager claimed that the water, about 20 million gallons (a small amount in mining terms) could be pumped out for £55,000, which is probably much less than the redundancy payments to the approximately 200 staff when the company went into receivership in indecent haste. The investigation by HM Inspectorate of Mines is thorough and meticulous, but does not conceal the fact that nothing has been proved about what really happened underground.
Meanwhile, many tens of millions of tons of Upper Hirst coal remain inaccessible, the water level has reached the now closed adit entrance at Longannet, and the UK imports large quantities of foreign coal to burn in Longannet Power Station
.
, using methods technically advanced for the time, such as a horse-powered bucket and chain pumping system. But the finest achievement was the Moat Pit, a shaft (actually two concentric shafts, for ventilation) constructed in an artificial island in the River Forth
, where ships could directly load coal from the mine. On one occasion the mine was visited by King James
, who entered from the shore and emerged on the artificial island. But in a great storm on 30 March 1625, coinciding with high tide, the colliery was flooded. Sir George Bruce died later that year, and no attempt was made to rescue the colliery.
Central Belt
The Central Belt of Scotland is a common term used to describe the area of highest population density within Scotland. Despite the name, it is not geographically central but is nevertheless situated at the 'waist' of Scotland on a conventional map and the term 'central' is used in many local...
Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
that was mined in the 1950s through to 2002, mainly to supply Kincardine Power Station
Kincardine power station
Kincardine power station was a large coal-fired power station on the shores of the upper Firth of Forth by Kincardine on Forth, Fife, Scotland....
, and later, Longannet Power Station
Longannet power station
Longannet power station is a large coal-fired power station in Fife capable of co-firing biomass, natural gas and sludge. The station is situated on the north bank of the Firth of Forth, near Kincardine on Forth. Its generating capacity of 2,400 megawatts is the highest of any power station in...
, in Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
.
This was a low-quality coal, unsuitable for most other purposes, and had mostly been disregarded previously. However, its low sulfur
Sulfur
Sulfur or sulphur is the chemical element with atomic number 16. In the periodic table it is represented by the symbol S. It is an abundant, multivalent non-metal. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with chemical formula S8. Elemental sulfur is a bright yellow...
content made it very suitable for power station use.
The Upper Hirst coal is found within the Upper Limestone Group of strata, above the Limestone Coal Group, but below the Productive Coal Measures. The latter two groups of strata may be separated by up to 1000 metres. In the Central Coal Field, which is in the form of a basin, the Productive Coal Measures, if they were ever deposited, have been lost by erosion except near the centre, where they outcrop near Alloa
Alloa
Alloa is a town and former burgh in Clackmannanshire, set in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on on the north bank of the Firth of Forth close to the foot of the Ochil Hills, east of Stirling and north of Falkirk....
and Clackmannan
Clackmannan
Clackmannan District 1975-96From 1975, Clackmannan was the name of a small town and local government district in the Central region of Scotland, corresponding to the traditional county of Clackmannanshire, which was Scotland's smallest...
, and have been mined until recently. The Limestone Coal Group of strata have been mined only around the edge of the basin, although in the 1950s there were plans for deep mines at Airth
Airth
Airth is a Royal Burgh, village, former trading port and civil parish in Falkirk, Scotland. It is north of Falkirk town and sits on the banks of the River Forth. Airth lies on the A905 road between Grangemouth and Stirling and is overlooked by Airth Castle, the village retains two market crosses...
, where two large shafts were constructed to rockhead and then abandoned, and at Gartarry Toll, which was not begun.
At Manor Powis, for example, the useful seams in the Limestone Coal Group were at a depth of about 400 metres, and included valuable anthracite, however the Upper Hirst was above this and as well as being mined at mid-shaft in the old colliery, was reached by a pair of sloping adits constructed near the bank of the River Forth
River Forth
The River Forth , long, is the major river draining the eastern part of the central belt of Scotland.The Forth rises in Loch Ard in the Trossachs, a mountainous area some west of Stirling...
. The slope of the seam was followed for some distance down the dip of the basin, to the east.
The Upper Hirst was initially mined experimentally at the site of Bannockburn
Bannockburn
Bannockburn is a village immediately south of the city of Stirling in Scotland. It is named after the Bannock Burn, a burn running through the village before flowing into the River Forth.-History:...
colliery by a small drift mine, then at mid-shaft in Polmaise 3/4 (commonly called Fallin
Fallin, Stirling
Fallin is a village in the Stirling council area of Scotland. It lies on the A905 road 3 miles east of Stirling on a bend in the River Forth. The United Kingdom Census 2001 recorded the population as 2710....
), Manor Powis, and later the drift mines at Dollar
Dollar, Clackmannanshire
Dollar is a small town in Clackmannanshire, Scotland. It is one of the Hillfoots Villages, situated between the Ochil Hills range to the north and the River Devon to the south. Dollar is on the A91 road, which runs from Stirling to St. Andrews. The town is around 3 miles east of Tillicoultry...
and Bogside, to supply Kincardine Power Station
Kincardine power station
Kincardine power station was a large coal-fired power station on the shores of the upper Firth of Forth by Kincardine on Forth, Fife, Scotland....
, but when Longannet Power Station
Longannet power station
Longannet power station is a large coal-fired power station in Fife capable of co-firing biomass, natural gas and sludge. The station is situated on the north bank of the Firth of Forth, near Kincardine on Forth. Its generating capacity of 2,400 megawatts is the highest of any power station in...
was built, an innovative scheme was developed to mine the coal at Dollar, Castlehill and Solsgirth, and bring the coal from Solsgirth, Bogside and Castlehill to the surface by conveyor at Longannet, immediately adjacent to the power station. Bogside, on the eastern extremity of the basin, could access the coal at no great depth, and it was worked down the dip to the west, via a large, deep shaft at Castlehill, which was latterly used for personnel access, the coal all emerging at Longannet, except that from Dollar, which due to faulting could not be economically linked to the main conveyor system.
This scheme was a great success, although the focus of mining shifted to the south as the Dollar basin was exhausted. Eventually coal was being extracted from south of the River Forth
River Forth
The River Forth , long, is the major river draining the eastern part of the central belt of Scotland.The Forth rises in Loch Ard in the Trossachs, a mountainous area some west of Stirling...
, and there were adequate reserves to last for at least the predicted lifetime of Longannet Power Station
Longannet power station
Longannet power station is a large coal-fired power station in Fife capable of co-firing biomass, natural gas and sludge. The station is situated on the north bank of the Firth of Forth, near Kincardine on Forth. Its generating capacity of 2,400 megawatts is the highest of any power station in...
. However, a disastrous flood on 23 March 2002 terminated production of the Upper Hirst coal, and brought deep mining in Scotland to an end.
The source of the flooding was allegedly the failure of a dam constructed to keep water which accumulated in the old workings to the north out of the working part of the mine, however there are substantial gaps in the known facts. A local mine manager claimed that the water, about 20 million gallons (a small amount in mining terms) could be pumped out for £55,000, which is probably much less than the redundancy payments to the approximately 200 staff when the company went into receivership in indecent haste. The investigation by HM Inspectorate of Mines is thorough and meticulous, but does not conceal the fact that nothing has been proved about what really happened underground.
Meanwhile, many tens of millions of tons of Upper Hirst coal remain inaccessible, the water level has reached the now closed adit entrance at Longannet, and the UK imports large quantities of foreign coal to burn in Longannet Power Station
Longannet power station
Longannet power station is a large coal-fired power station in Fife capable of co-firing biomass, natural gas and sludge. The station is situated on the north bank of the Firth of Forth, near Kincardine on Forth. Its generating capacity of 2,400 megawatts is the highest of any power station in...
.
History
Perversely, one of the few successful early workings of the Upper Hirst also ended in a flood. The eastern outcrop was mined by Sir George BruceGeorge Bruce of Carnock
Sir George Bruce of Carnock was a Scottish merchant and engineer. He was born in Carnock, near Dunfermline.-Coal mining:...
, using methods technically advanced for the time, such as a horse-powered bucket and chain pumping system. But the finest achievement was the Moat Pit, a shaft (actually two concentric shafts, for ventilation) constructed in an artificial island in the River Forth
River Forth
The River Forth , long, is the major river draining the eastern part of the central belt of Scotland.The Forth rises in Loch Ard in the Trossachs, a mountainous area some west of Stirling...
, where ships could directly load coal from the mine. On one occasion the mine was visited by King James
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
, who entered from the shore and emerged on the artificial island. But in a great storm on 30 March 1625, coinciding with high tide, the colliery was flooded. Sir George Bruce died later that year, and no attempt was made to rescue the colliery.