The Life and Death of King Coal

The reign of King Coal is a story which is central to fully understanding modern Britain.

Miners, union members, and the local community take part in a protest march from Knottingley Town Hall to the Miners Welfare Center marking the end of deep coal mining in Britain, in Knottingley, England, on Dec. 19, 2015. Kellingley Colliery closed Dec. 18. The last deep mine in Britain began production in 1965. Its closure will complete a carefully managed two-year plan for the U.K.s deep mines. This has been implemented by U.K. Coal with financial support from the British government. It follows a long period of difficult trading conditions largely due to low international coal prices. Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

The reign of King Coal is a story that is central to fully understanding modern Britain. Coal powered the industrial revolution, employed over a million miners at the industry’s height, shaped and sustained communities across the country, and has played a key role in the U.K.’s political economy.

With the closure of Kellingley colliery, the country’s last deep mine, in December 2015, a defining chapter in British history comes to an end.

Although coal had been mined in small quantities in Britain since Roman times, the story of coal as a major industry begins with the industrial revolution. From the 18th century onward, demand for coal began to grow at an increasing rate. Several factors drove this, but its most important uses were as a fuel for steam-powered engines, in ironworks and metal smelting, and for domestic energy consumption in growing cities and towns.

Then in the 19th century, coal grew to become the biggest industry in Britain in terms of workforce. It expanded from 109,000 workers in 1830 to nearly 1.1 million in 1913.

In the 19th century, coal grew to become the biggest industry in Britain in terms of workforce. The early years of the 20th century proved to be the industry's zenith, however.