The Story of Stepps

Industries - Coal

Planning for a colliery at Cardowan was initiated by James Dunlop & Co. during the early 1920s. The sinking of Nos. 1 & 2 Pits was commenced in 1924 and completed in 1928. Coal winning began in 1929, over an underground area of approximately four and a half square miles. The main and coking coal seams were found to be of workable thickness, but the workings were gassy. Initially this necessitated the exclusive use of compressed air machinery, but during World War II improved conditions and control gear allowed the gradual introduction of electricity. The initial daily output of the colliery was 1,000 tons, with a workforce of about 800 men. The large coal was disposed of for domestic use, and to the railways for fuel for locomotives. Gasworks and coke ovens were the main outlets for smaller coal.

On 23rd September 1935 pithead baths of the latest design were opened, at an estimated cost of £14,000. This cost was borne by the Miners' Welfare Association, while the cost of an adjacent ambulance room was met by the owners, James Dunlop & Co. The facilities included baths, hot and cold sprays, and lockers for both clean and pit clothes. There was sufficient floor space for the full number of men on the largest shift. An extension to the building took place in 1938, to provide for 432 men, and a later extension during the 1950s brought the number of lockers up to 2,000 enough for all employees. About the same time as the baths were opened in 1935, Lanark County Council notified the Scottish Area Housing Association that a site at Craigendmuir was available for new construction of miners' houses, to facilitate employment at Cardowan Colliery and save the miners there the inconvenience of travel from a distance. Building of the new Cardowan houses commenced very soon afterwards.

Soon after the nationalization of the coal industry in 1947, the future development of Cardowan Colliery was carefully considered and the decision taken to "prospect and prove" additional reserves to the south. These were shown to extend to approximately seven square miles, and to contain workable reserves of an estimated 23 million tons. In 1957 it was decided to work these reserves, and the "Cardowan Major Reorganisation Project" was approved. It was decided to sink Shaft No. 3, which would in effect handle mineral, material and man-winding for a whole colliery. The planned output was 660,000 tons per annum. The initial work on the shaft - to construct a shaft collar to a depth of 42ft, in order to overcome a top layer of 25ft of moss - commenced in December 1957. This was completed in April 1958. The sinking of the shaft commenced in October of that year and was completed, ahead of schedule, in September 1960. The total depth sunk was 720yds, with insets at 476yds and 680yds.

Less than a decade later, with reported losses having risen to £100,000 a month, it was decided to terminate operations at the colliery. The closure was planned to take effect from 16th December 1969. This decision was later rescinded, saving the jobs of a workforce of 1,464 men, at that time. By 1982, 940 men were employed underground and 157 on the surface. The following year, on 26th August 1983, the colliery was closed. A skeleton staff was retained for a period, to fill in and seal the shafts. Heavy losses, of £36 million over the previous five years and a further £10 million during the final year, were given as the reasons for closure.

Over the lifetime of Cardowan Colliery there were many human casualties. In August 1927, during sinking operations, three men were killed and eight injured. During the years of production the gassy seams caused a number of accidents. In November 1932 eleven men were killed in an explosion; in January 1960 twenty-three men were burned by fire; in January 1982 forty miners were injured in another explosion. There were additional incidents due to rockfalls and other causes. Such was always the price of coal.

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