Quadriga completed external masonry repairs to the engine house at Lancashire Mining Museum.
A rare surviving colliery
Established in 1908 and producing coal from 1912 until its closure in 1970, Astley Green retains the Lancashire Coalfield’s only surviving pit headgear and engine house. The museum occupies a 15-acre site beside the Bridgewater Canal and preserves an important record of the industry that shaped the surrounding communities.
Built between 1910 and 1912, the engine house contains its original 3,300 hp Yates & Thom winding engine, which raised coal and transported miners and supplies through No.1 shaft. The red-brick building features a slate roof, large round-arched windows set within recessed panels, and ornamental brickwork at the eaves.
Engine house masonry repairs
Quadriga removed defective brickwork and rebuilt affected areas using matching bricks. Ornamental bricks were carefully removed, cleaned and reinstated, and the east wall was raked out and repointed.
The repairs retained the character of the historic elevations and helped protect the building housing the surviving winding installation.
Scope of Works
Masonry Repairs
Quadriga carried out external masonry repairs to the historic engine house, addressing deteriorated brickwork while preserving the character and detailing of its elevations. The works comprised:
- Providing pointing samples to establish a suitable mortar colour, texture and joint finish in keeping with the existing masonry.
- Sourcing replacement bricks to match the size, colour and texture of the historic brickwork
- Carefully remove defective brickwork and rebuilding affected areas with matching bricks.
- Removing, cleaning and reinstating ornamental bricks to retain the building’s decorative features.
- Raking out deteriorated mortar joints and repointing elevations.
Project Outcome
The project supports the long-term preservation of a rare surviving colliery building and the original winding engine it houses. Quadriga’s contribution helps the museum’s volunteers continue sharing Lancashire’s mining history with visitors and future generations.
Client Testimonial
‘The Lancashire Mining Museum is delighted to offer our comments about the performance of Quadriga when undertaking repairs to the engine house at the museum. The engine house is a listed building and scheduled monument and was on the Historic England ‘At Risk’ register because of water penetration into the building. Quadriga worked positively with the site and enjoyed an excellent relationship with our volunteer team. They undertook all necessary works and also identified solutions to the causes of the problem.
The outcome has been a fully repaired building signed off by Historic England following an inspection and the quality of the work now means that the building has been removed for ‘At Risk’ status which is a source of pride to all at the museum.’
