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Ram Hill Colliery is a 19th Century coal mine near the village of Coalpit Heath in the historic county of Gloucestershire. Now mostly owned by South Gloucestershire Council and listed by Historic England as Scheduled Monument No.1021386, the colliery site includes the complete footprint of a horse gin – a building containing a horse-driven winding engine – as well as remains of later buildings that contained a steam-powered winding beam engine and boiler, evidence of a possible reservoir, and of course the top of the mine shaft itself. To the west of the colliery buildings is the northern terminus of the Dramway, a horse-and-gravity railway that transported coal from Ram Hill and other collieries along its route to the River Avon near Keynsham, for onward transport by barge to Bath and Bristol.
Open Days
Although the Ram Hill Colliery site is open all year round, we aim to hold one or two special Open Days each year when volunteers will be available to show people around and explain the archaeology and nature conservation work taking place. Our next Open Days will be:
Spring Open Day
Sunday, 3rd May 2026
10:00am to 4:00pm
Heritage Open Day
Sunday, 20th September 2026
More details of our Heritage Open Day will be available nearer the time.
Who are we?
The Friends of Ram Hill Colliery are a voluntary association founded in July 2004 with the aim to ensure that the cultural and natural assets of the Ram Hill Colliery site are maintained and conserved for the benefit of local people through active community involvement. We work in partnership with South Gloucestershire Council to ensure the delivery of the Management Plan for the site, and offer practical support for the management, promotion and education relating to the site as directed by South Gloucestershire Council.
Our work on the colliery site has included:
- Clearing nearly twenty years' growth of trees and scrub to reopen the site to the public
- Removing two large spoil heaps left over from excavations in the 1980's
- Repairs and consolidation to the standing archaeology using traditional lime mortar
- Improvements to the open grassland and remaining woodland areas to encourage wild flowers, birds, bats, insects and other creatures
Workdays
We continue to hold regular workdays at Ram Hill Colliery for maintenance of the standing archaeology and management of the natural environment. They normally take place on alternate Tuesday mornings between March and October, and our next one is scheduled for:
Tuesday, 14th April 2026
10:00am to 12:00pm
Please contact Ann on 07851 198434 to confirm that it's going ahead.
Join us!
Membership of the Friends of Ram Hill Colliery is FREE, and is open to anyone who has an interest in the Ram Hill Colliery site and who supports our aims. We would especially like more active volunteers to help with the ongoing maintenance of the site, but "armchair" members are equally welcome. Please Contact Us for further information about becoming a member and participating in our workdays.
Visiting Ram Hill Colliery
The colliery site can be found opposite the Railway Cottages on Broad Lane, Coalpit Heath, BS36 2TY. It is open all year round.
- Nearest postcode: BS36 2TY
- National Grid Reference: ST 67898 80270
- what3words: ///received.scribble.munch (location of the entrance gate)