My 3 x Great Granfather Worked and lived at the Lightmoor Colliery around 1850's till his death and by the look of it his wife stayed in the cottages after his death due his children working on there. To date I have not been very successful in finding any information out about this colliery, I have been to where I think it was situated but the are no signs to say anything about it. If anyone should have any information I would Much appricate any small morsal.

Many thanks Heather

The old engine house
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1053423

and the tump
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1053427

map Ref
SO 646 123

Over Cinderford Bridge, towards Dilke Hospital and Speech House on lefthand side.

The stone pumping engine house (now roofless), the last to survive in Dean, some offices, the tip and a pond remain, and the site is now used as a sawmill. The pre-1830s beam engine is preserved in the Dean Heritage Museum.

Lightmoor colliery worked several gales, of which the first was awarded to Moses Teague and William Crawshay in 1841. Work had begun previously in about 1832, and there were two shafts by 1835. Pumping and winding engines were working by 1841 and there were four shafts by 1854. Further expansion included deepening of the shafts (to 936 ft) and acquisition of adjacent gales, and the colliery became one of the largest in Dean, producing 86,508 tons in 1856 and 800-900 tons/day in 1906. 594 persons were employed underground, with 110 on the surface, in 1899. The colliery worked the top of the Upper Coal Measures (Supra-Pennant Group), which includes the Twenty Inch, Lowery, Starkey, Rocky and Churchway High Delf Seams, mainly household coal. Lightmoor had an early tramroad connection with the Forest of Dean Tramroad at Ruspidge, replaced by a private line to the Forest of Dean Branch near Cinderford in 1854; there was also a connection with the Severn and Wye Railway's mineral loop. In later years there were problems with water, leading to the purchase of Speech House Hill and (jointly with Foxes Bridge) Trafalgar Collieries. Closure came on 8th June 1940, and for a time the buildings were used for military purposes.

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Ἀριστοτέλης A Gloster & Hereford Boy in the Forest of Dean ><((((*>

Many thanks for the quick response!
Heather

Just to follow up slowhands' response, Lightmoor was used by the Forestry Commission during the 60s to provide offices for their staff working in the eastern part of the Dean and as a heavy-plant repair and service depot covering much of England and Wales. It overhauled and serviced kit ranging from Land Rovers to bulldozers and road-rollers to graders.