Falls Colliery

In 1809 Hugh Henshall Williamson, brother to Robert Williamson, aquired a lease to build a rail system from The Falls in Biddulph. The rail way was to transport coal and coal slack from the Mines at The Falls to the Congleton Road on the Cheshire/Staffordshire border. The coal slack was used to burn the lime at Asbury Limeworks. Lime had been mined during the 1700's and coal was carried by horse however as soon as the industrious Williamson's purchased the lease improvements were made. In fact Ann Williamson and her sons Hugh Henshall and Robert held the lease for the Lime works from 1823 - 1847.

As the Limeworks pit got deeper and the slack banks got higher it was decidecd to move the Lime Kilns further west and downbank closer to the Manchester Railway. The Lime was carried through a tunnel on a rail sytem but the coal was transported by an aerial ropeway from the slack falls (Black Cob)

There is no evidence that the Falls coal was transported on the Stonetrough Railway (1805-1831) but looking at the family connection it probably was.

In 1847 there were 6 shafts working the Bullhurst, Cockshead, Banbury and Winpenny seams. By 1851 it appears to have been abandoned.