The Great Northern Coalfield

In February 2005, Ellington Colliery was closed as a result of flooding of a working coal face from adjacent abandoned workings, and the risks involved in extracting alternative reserves. This was the last major mine in the once globally important 'Great Northern Coalfield' which, for over 1,000 years, provided fuel and employment and consolidated communities and created a unique regional culture. Coal mining and its way of life is now a history.