Coal mining records, data, deeds and documents
Source: gov.uk (2025-07-01)

How to get data and documents held by the Mining Remediation Authority.

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 (https://datamine-cauk.hub.arcgis.com/) 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 (https://www.gov.uk/search-property-information-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 (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx).

Fees and charges

Digital copies of individual plans are £35 excluding VAT.

Geological data

British Coal photographs

Other historical records

Search fees

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 Authority200 Lichfield LaneMansfieldNottinghamshireNG18 4RG

Email xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx)

Telephone xx-xxxx-xxxx

Telephone from outside the UK (Monday to Thursday, 8:45am to 5pm, Friday, 8:45am to 4:30pm GMT) xx-xxxx-xxxx