Location

Diglake Colliery, sometimes called Audley Colliery, was located in the village of Bignall End, near Audley, Staffordshire. It was one of probably hundreds of mines that were worked locally, as can be seen from the Victorian maps of the area.

The images below show the location of the colliery, as well as plans of the colliery below ground.

As well as the two main Diglake shafts, the colliery also included a former shaft of Boyles Hall Colliery. For more information about this third shaft, click here to view the Boyles Hall page.

The map above dates from 1890 and shows Diglake (labelled Audley Colliery) inside a triangular area bounded to the west by the railway line (now dismantled) and to the south by Audley Road. The label 'Old Shaft' appears all over the map.

The map above is from Google Mapping Services, which provide excellent aerial photographs. The darker area to the north of Audley Road marks the modern-day location of the remains of the pit. The old railway line is now a tree-lined embankment running from the bottom left to the top right of the photograph.

The image above combines the two maps as closely as possible, giving a better idea of the extent of the colliery.

This map is from the Government mapping service, MagicMap. In addition to the present-day streets and buildings, the location of Diglake's two shafts (marked 'Shafts (dis)) is shown.

Finally, the image above combines the aerial photograph from Google and the MagicMap information to show clearly where the two shafts were located. The small road (which is marked 'private, no access') in the centre of the picture corresponds with the old entrance road to the pit. The large house opposite the shafts post-dates the colliery.

This plan of Diglake, kindly supplied by Mr Jim Worgan, describes the various areas of the colliery. In the centre of the plan are the two shafts (No 1 and No 2 shafts). To the south west lie the 8 Foot seams and Boundary workings, and to the north east are the 7 and 10 Foot seams.

The map above is adapted from David Dybble's excellent book about Diglake. It shows the areas of the pit as well as the railway line and Ravens Lane.

A photograph of Diglake, presumably dating from the 1890s, showing the two shafts and associated colliery buildings (now all gone).

This photograph shows the remains of Diglake Colliery in 1963. All buildings are gone, but the two capped shafts can be clearly seen.

The Diglake site today (pictures kindly taken by Paul D, on 14th January 2006).
This picture was taken from the location labelled as 'Shafts (dis)' on the image above, looking west towards the disused railway line.

From the same location as the image above, looking north-west.

Looking south towards the main Audley Road, with the shafts on the left of the picture. The lane behind the gate leads off from the north of Audley Road and is marked 'private, no access'.

Taken from the same location as the picture above, but with the shafts on the right.

A view from the old railway line, with the shafts to the right of the picture.

A closer view of the remains of Shaft No. 1. The concrete cap can just be seen through the undergrowth which has sprung up over the last forty years (since the 1963 picture).