Coal Mining Records, Data, Deeds and Documents - Access Guidance
Summary
The Mining Remediation Authority (formerly Coal Authority) provides guidance on accessing historical UK coal mining records. The interactive map viewer allows free viewing of selected coal mining information online. The Mining Heritage Centre in Mansfield holds over 120,000 coal abandonment plans dating to the 17th century and 47,000 British Coal photographs. Records available include coal abandonment plans, the coal holdings register for title investigations, the licence register for current mining licences, and property deeds from the National Coal Board and British Coal Corporation.
What changed
The Mining Remediation Authority published guidance on accessing coal mining records, data, and documents held in their archives. Key records available include over 120,000 coal abandonment plans dating from the 17th century, a collection of more than 47,000 British Coal photographs, the coal holdings register for researching mines or minerals ownership, and the licence register for current granted coal mining licences. Property deeds from the National Coal Board or British Coal Corporation may also be available. The guidance is informational and does not create new regulatory obligations.
Affected parties include property owners, legal professionals conducting title investigations, researchers, and developers requiring desktop studies. The authority advises that any title investigation involving mines and minerals in a coal mining area must include an inspection of the coal holdings register. Records can be accessed free at the Mining Heritage Centre or ordered as digital or paper copies by contacting the customer services team.
What to do next
- Contact customer services to order copies of coal abandonment plans or photographs
- Contact customer services to search the coal holdings register for title investigations
- Contact the Land Registry first for property deeds enquiries
Archived snapshot
Apr 16, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
Guidance
Coal mining records, data, deeds and documents
How to get data and documents held by the Mining Remediation Authority.
From: Coal Authority and Mining Remediation Authority Published 9 October 2014 Last updated 1 July 2025
— See all updates Get emails about this page Print this page The Mining Remediation Authority holds a large quantity of data, including historical information, relating to coal mining in the United Kingdom.
Our interactive map viewer allows you to view selected coal mining information for free in your web browser.
Get historical digital coal mining data
Coal abandonment plans
You may need to access historical mine plans for research purposes, desktop studies before development or simply because you have an interest in the history of mining.
The Mining Heritage Centre at our office in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, houses a collection of more than 120,000 coal abandonment plans, dating as far back as the 17th century.
These cover surface mining, also known as opencast, and deep mining operations, depicting areas of coal extraction and the point of entry into the seam.
Digital or paper copies of all our abandonment plans can be ordered by submitting your site plan and request to our customer services team.
British Coal photograph collection
We have a large collection of more than 47,000 British Coal photographs, from a wide range of collieries covering every aspect of coal mining.
Digital or paper prints of photos can be ordered by submitting your order request to our customer services team.
All our plans and photos have been scanned and can be viewed for free at the Mining Heritage Centre, from 9am to 4.30pm on Mondays to Thursdays and from 9am to 4pm on Fridays, but you are advised to call our customer services team to make an appointment to ensure a computer is available.
Get historical paper coal mining records
Coal holdings register
If you want to research mines or minerals ownership for a particular area or site, then you will need to look at our coal holdings register.
This paper archive is held at the Mining Heritage Centre and deals with the transfer in ownership of coal and other minerals prior to the nationalisation of the coal industry.
Any investigation into the title of mines and minerals in a coal mining area must involve an inspection of the coal holdings register and we will not regard the investigation as being done properly without this being carried out.
To search our coal holdings register, contact our customer services team and provide a plan of your area of interest.
Licence register
If you want details on a coal mining licence then you will need to refer to our licence register. This holds details of all current granted coal mining licences, including underground, opencast and underground coal gasification, and also any current applications.
These are usually requested by homeowners if they receive a mining report that mentions a particular licence. An entry in the licence register provides you with details of the licensee and a plan of the area affected.
If you would like a copy of an entry from the licence register, contact our customer services team with details of the licence you are interested in.
Property deeds and documents
In the first instance all enquiries should be directed to the Land Registry.
If your title deeds to a residential property have been lost, stolen or destroyed, the we could be able to provide certified copies. Our archive contains copies of many of the documents created when land and property has been sold or otherwise disposed of by the National Coal Board or British Coal Corporation.
These include:
- uncertified copies of deeds or documents
- certified copies of deeds or documents
- replacement title deeds If you need any of the above, then submit your request to our property team.
Fees and charges
| For the colour printing of originals in paper format | Charges excluding VAT |
|---|---|
| Up to A2 (420mm x 594mm) | £15 |
| Above A2 (420mm x 594mm) up to A1 (594mm x 841mm) | £25 |
| Above A1 (594mm x 841mm) up to A0 (841mm x 1188mm) | £35 |
| Above A0 (841mm x 1188mm) up to max (900mm x 1500mm) | £45 |
| Photocopying (A4) | £0.40 |
| Photocopying (A3) | £0.45 |
Digital copies of individual plans are £35 excluding VAT.
Geological data
| For copies of: | Charges: |
|---|---|
| Digital opencast (surface mining) borehole data (per borehole, without scientific data) | £2 |
| Digital opencast (surface mining) borehole data (per borehole, with scientific data) | £2.50 |
British Coal photographs
| For copies of photographs: | Charges: |
|---|---|
| Size: A4 | £10 |
Other historical records
| For copies of: | Charges: |
|---|---|
| Certified copy of property deeds (per deed – plans charged extra if applicable) | £65 plus £25 per sheet |
| Uncertified copy of property deeds (per deed – plans charged extra if applicable) | £65 |
| Copy of a court order (per order – plans charged extra if applicable) | £50 |
| Copy of mining lease (per lease – plans charged extra if applicable) | £50 |
| Copy of entry in coal holding register (per entry) – application plans extra | £40 |
| Visits to view entries on the licence register (per entry) | None |
| Copy of entry on licence register (per entry) | £40 |
| Notices | £40 |
Search fees
| For copies of: | Charges: |
|---|---|
| Detailed search by a surveyor (minimum charge covers 1 hour of work and is currently £92.67 per person per hour (or part hour) plus VAT). This will provide you with a list of abandonment plans that show workings which cross over the submitted site. For larger sites that will take over 1 hour, customers will be informed of this before they are required to make payment | £92.67 |
| Abandoned Mines Catalogue Search (per search) plus VAT. This will provide you with a list of all abandonment plans in the general area of the submitted site | £96.52 |
| Interrogation of our Wisdom data base (per search) | £50 |
Please note that all charges for searches are payable in advance
Contact us or request further information
Customer services, mining reports and records
Mining Remediation Authority
200 Lichfield Lane
Mansfield
Nottinghamshire
NG18 4RG
Email customerservice@miningremediation.gov.uk
Telephone 0345 762 6848
Telephone from outside the UK (Monday to Thursday, 8:45am to 5pm, Friday, 8:45am to 4:30pm GMT) +44(0)1623 637000
Updates to this page
Published 9 October 2014 Last updated 1 July 2025 show all updates
1.
1 July 2025
Updated costs of an Abandoned Mines Catalogue Search which is now £96.52 (excluding VAT).
2.
11 July 2024
Updated the link for the Coal Authority's interactive map viewer - https://datamine-cauk.hub.arcgis.com
3.
1 June 2018
Removed link to out of date polygon data and replaced with a link to the Coal Authority's interactive map viewer
4.
9 October 2014
First published.
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