In the March 2016 NAMHO newsletter, the headline story is, understandably, the closure of Kellingley Colliery, the last deep coal mine in Britain, which took place in December 2015. There is a link to Ian Castledine’s impressive photographic record immediately after the closure, at http://www.kellingley.co.uk/

Details of a forthcoming publication are described. “The Archaeology of Mining and Quarrying in England: A Research Framework” at first sounds like quite a dry and heavy read, but it will lay down for the first time a coordinated reference for anybody who finds themselves required to undertake archaeological work on a site with a mining or quarrying context. The document has been produced by volunteers with a direct interest in the subject, and will be available as a free PDF download from the NAMHO website later this year.

One of the main instigators and developers of the framework was Jon Humble, whose death at the age of 57 in November 2015 is reported. A detailed tribute to Jon is published and it is clear that UK mine exploration has lost a real character. News from a number of NAMHO groups is published, including Peak District Mines Historical Society, Cumbria Amenity Trust Mining History Society, South Gloucestershire Mines Research Group, Parys Underground Group, Nenthead Mines Conservation Society, and Friends of Killhope and NMCS.

Mining news, publication reviews, and a diary complete another comprehensive and informative newsletter from NAMHO.