One of the most important industries within the research area for at least 1000 years was coal mining. However, it is one thing to mine coal it is quite another to transport the coal to its market. Over time the same routes were used and these became known as the coal roads. The coal roads were not just used to transport coal – other goods and services were transported along these routes and they soon became the backbone of much of the long distance road networks in the research area.
There are two main coal mining areas in the research area. The Leicestershire coalfield started out in and around the Swannington area. As the technologies improved then deeper seams could be exploited and so the mining activity increased.
The south Derbyshire coalfield is the second coal mining area. This started life around Measham and Oakthorpe in the east and Swadlincote in the west. Again, as technologies improved the mining activities expanded.
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| Coal Roads |
The coal roads that are being researched are:
- Swannington to Leicester;
- Swannington to Blaby;
- Packington to Leicester;
- Measham to Repton.
This list, no doubt, will be expanded as this part of the research project is developed
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