Coal Mining and The Tramways
Stone Trough and Towerhill Collieries

Coal mining has been one of the main influences in the development of Mow Cop. Unlike the stone quarrying though, the evidence of this industry is quite well hidden. There are no relics like pit headgear lying about, or large waste heaps, however once you know where to begin looking, the evidence is still physically there.
The coalmines were initially basic and primitive shallow workings, usually on farmland, or even as in the case of Stone Trough Colliery, in the farm yard itself. They were mined seasonally, once the crops had been taken care off, and all the rest of the spring and summer work was complete, the farm workers would then become miners, descending down ladders, and using buckets and pulleys to bring the black gold to the surface.
Around 1807 a tramway was built from Stone Trough Farm to the coal wharf at Mossley. The track went up what is now Towerhill road and turner right along Congleton road. It then descended down to Mossley for the purpose of supplying coal to Congleton. The track was oval in shape and was made of cast iron; steel wouldn’t be used for another 50 years. Stone blocks formed the sleepers and can apparently be seen on the embankment above the lime works at Astbury. Judging by the width of the embankments we can also assume that the tramway was 2ft gauge. The tramway crossed over what is now Ganny bank on a bridge; again the embankments are still there. From what has been written of the tramway and it is not a lot, it would seem that it was only used for a short period of time. The route of the tramway is now a footpath, and is clearly sign posted.

Williamson’s (Welsh) Row before its demolition in 1974

As the mining industry grew in the 1830’s and 40’s miners from other parts of the country settled here. The main influx came from Wales, Flint Mountain to be precise, these miners and their families moved to Mow Cop to work in the rapidly expanding Towerhill Colliery. A man named Conway who was now the manager of the colliery employed them; it was for these workers that a row of some 25 brick terraced houses were built nearby. This row of houses must have looked a strange site, all the other housing on Mow was of stone, and very rarely were there more that a couple joined together. The houses were demolished in 1974 leaving only a small road branching off Tower Hill road, still called Welsh Row.

The Tunnel Entrance Staffordshire side

With the success of both Tower Hill and Stone Trough Collieries, a further means of transportation was required, so the coal could be loaded up on the newly constructed Macclesfield Canal. An agreement was reached in 1832 between Randle Wilbraham and the Rev. William Moreton (Lords of the Manor at Odd Rode) and John Hall the coal miner and current lease holder of Stonetrough Colliery, to lease a piece of land

Extract of the lease

`…for the purpose of forming a railway to lead form the coal works of the said parties called the Stonetrough Colliery toward the Macclesfield canal, at a point a little north of the place where the same is crossed by the road leading from Kent Green to Old House Green…

Not long after the signing of the agreement, the lease of Stonetrough Colliery changed hands. Robert Williamson a coal and Iron master bought the colliery from Hall. The proposal was a horse drawn tramway taking coal wagons from Mow Cop to Kent Green wharf. The tramway was to leave Stonetrough colliery and head up the hill toward Tower Hill colliery; this was on a similar route to the tramway of 1807. Once at Tower Hill colliery it turned west (21) towards a tunnel some 350 yards long that was cut from the solid millstone grit. The tunnel would then emerge on the Cheshire side of the hill just below Pointon’s Farm, and descend steeply towards Kent Green Wharf.

It has been estimated that there were 7000 stone sleepers used, however wooden sleepers were used inside the tunnel

The trucks were pulled along the track six at a time by large horses, probably Clydesdales and through the tunnel. About two thirds of the way in the tunnel there is what is thought to be a turning point for the horses. It is thought that the horses were un- coupled and the trucks then pushed by hand down the narrow slope to the exit. Once out the trucks were than attached to the ropeways of a braked winding drum.

Recently excavated sleepers at the top of the brake incline

Brake Winding Drum, similar to the one at Mow Cop

Two self-acting brake inclines were erected on a specially constructed embankment. This comprised of two parallel tracks linked via a continuous ropeway, which was wrapped around pulleys at each end of the incline. The weight of a full truck descending would then pull up the empty trucks on the other side of the track; a braked winding drum through which the rope also passed then controlled the speed of descent. The two-braked inclines were 400 yards long and were linked by a short track called the Brake Level; this was a common form of tramway during this period of the industrial revolution. The line terminated at Kent Green wharf, where the coal trucks were emptied into barges.

Robert Williamson’s sons, Hugh Williamson and William Shephard Williamson were both getting coal from out of Stonetrough colliery 3 years after the expiry of the lease, and in November, 1886, they filed for bankruptcy with liabilities exceeding £50 000. The freehold of the two collieries went for auction and was purchased by Robert Heath. Heath immediately closed the pits and in July 1887 pulled up the rail tracks, this was to boost his already successful mining and steel empire in Biddulph.