Ram Hill Colliery Open Day

There will be an Open Day at the historic Ram Hill Colliery on Monday 29 May from 10.30 am to 4.00 pm.

You will be able to visit this 19th century mine site, with the remains of the mine shaft, horse-gin, bunkers and Dramway. You will also be able to take a walk through the Woodland area and enjoy some refreshments .

You can find the Colliery across from 1 Railway Cottages, Broad Lane, Coalpit Heath, BS36 2TY

The Friends of Ram Hill Colliery offer guided walks, and recommend sensible footware. Dogs and children must be supervised, with respect shown to this registered Heritage England site. Donations welcome.

For more information please check out www.ramhillcolliery.org.uk or contact Liz Hillyard on 01179 236595

Finding out about our mining heritage

The next Ram Hill Colliery Open Day will be held on Sunday 11th September between 10am and 4.30pm. Guided walks and refreshments will be on offer. Visitors are advised to take care under foot and children and dogs should be supervised. Donations welcome. If you have any queries, please call David and Marian Gooden on 0117 932 2602.

You can also visit Oldwood Pits at Tanhouse Lane, Rangeworthy (BS37 7PZ) this weekend. There is nothing accessible underground due to flooding, but you can see the mine office, mining artefacts and displays and as part of a guided tour you can see the pit shaft and drift mine entrance. Tours are every half hour between 2pm and 5pm on Saturday 10th September and 11am and 3.30pm on Sunday 11th September. No need to book in advance, you can book your tour on arrival. Any queries, please call David Hardwick on 01454 299053.

These events are part of the Discover Festival.

Ram Hill Colliery events

The next Ram Hill Colliery Open Day will be held on Monday 30th May 2016 10am – 4.30pm. Volunteers will be giving detailed tours of the site and serving refreshments.

The Friends of Ram Hill Colliery would welcome new volunteers to help them with their work conserving the site. You can contact David or Marian Godden on 01179 322602. Their A.G.M. will be held on Thursday 23rd June 2016 7.30pm at The Miners Institute in Coalpit Heath.

Events this weekend

With the Discover festival in full swing, there are a number of local events this weekend.

St Saviour's Church is having an open doors weekend, open 10am-4pm on Saturday and 11am-3pm on Sunday (plus services at 8am, 10am and 6pm). There will be children's activities all day Saturday and they will be doing a short walk to St Peter's Frampton Cotterell starting at 1.30pm to raise money for the Gloucestershire Historic Churches Trust. Afterwards you can have a cup of tea at St Peter's and walk to Bridge House where the trains will be running (50p per ride).

On Sunday the Friends of Ram Hill Colliery are holding an open day from 10am to 4.30pm. You can tour the remains of the 19th century coal mine, visit the woodland area, Dramway connection, engine house and horse gin. Refreshments are provided and there is wheelchair access to most of the site. Sensible footwear recommended. For more information see www.ramhillcolliery.org.uk

Slightly further afield, Winterbourne Medieval Barn and Winterbourne Parish Church are opening their doors on both 12 and 13 September (2pm to 5pm). The church is located next door to the Medieval Barn, so offers a great opportunity to view both buildings in one visit.

For more Discover 2015 events, see www.southglos.gov.uk/discover

Friends of Ram Hill Colliery look for new treasurer

The Friends of Ram Hill Colliery are looking for a new Treasurer. They say there are not many entries and the committee meets every two months. They can be contacted via their website - www.ramhillcolliery.org.uk

If you would like to find out more about this historic site, their next Open Day is to be held on Sunday 13th September 2015. 10am – 4.30pm.

Find out more about our mining past - and more

The upcoming South Glos Discover Festival includes several opportunities to find out more about our mining past.

On Saturday 13 Sept 2014 from 2pm to 5pm and Sunday14 Sept 2014 from 11am to 3.30 pm the South Gloucestershire Mines Research Group will be holding open days at Oldwood Pits, Tanhouse Lane, Rangeworthy, BS37 7PZ. There will be guided tours of the colliery site remains, a display of local mining artefacts and refreshments. For more information please contact: Mrs J. Humphris at Oldwood Pits Telephone: 01454 228160

Also on Sunday 14th September, from 10am to 4.30pm there will be an opportunity to tour the remains of Ram Hill Colliery, including the woodland area and the remains of the Dramway engine house and horse gin.

Nearby St Saviour's Church will be holding open days from 11am to 1pm on Friday 12th September, 10am to 3pm on Saturday 13th September and 10.30am to 3pm on Sunday 14th September.


For more events, covering creative, heritage, nature, health and food topics, please go to the Discover Festival pages on the South Glos website.

Ram Hill Colliery Open Day - Sunday 6th May

The Friends of Ram Hill Colliery are holding an open day from 10am-4.30pm tomorrow (Sunday 6th May). If you would be interested in joining them as a volunteer, why not go along to their AGM on at 7.30pm on Wednesday 16th May in the Miner's Institute (Coalpit Heath Village Hall).

Find out more about local heritage

From Thursday 8th - Sunday 11th September you have the chance to find out more about local heritage. Local sites featured include Ram Hill Colliery (left) and St Saviour's Church. For more information about sites here and elsewhere visit the Heritage Open Days website.

Could you help the Friends of Ram Hill Colliery?

The Friends of Ram Hill Colliery are still looking for a new Chair and also volunteers for gardening at the site on a Wednesday or the 2nd or 4th Sunday of the month. If you can help please contact David Godden at da.godden@btinternet.com .

If you'd like to find out more about the site, why not go along to the Heritage Open Day between 10am and 4.30pm on Sunday 11th September. Or if you'd like to raise money to help the work of the Friends, get a quiz team together for Thursday 22nd September in the Miners Institute. To book a table call Steve and Liz Hillyard on 0117 923 6595. 

Help out at Ram Hill

If you fancy helping to preserve our mining heritage, why not join the Friends of Ram Hill Colliery for a work party on Sunday 18th October at the Ram Hill site? It will begin around 10am and end by 3pm and you can join them for whatever period suits you. Work ranges from cutting back bushes to moving stones. For more information, ring the Chair, Steve Hillyard, on 0117 923 6595.

Heritage Open Days coming up

This year's Heritage Open Days run from Thursday 10th to Sunday 13th September. They include a chance to go on a guided tour of the remains of Ram Hill Colliery near Coalpit Heath on the Sunday. The information leaflet is available to download from the South Glos website.

Coal mining buffs might also like to attend the free Open Day at Oldwood Pit between Yate and Rangeworth. There will be guided tours approximately every half an hour 2-6pm on Saturday and 11-5pm on Sunday, so it will be possible to visit both Ram Hill and Oldwood in the same weekend. More information can be found on the South Glos Mines Research Group website.