Owls and wildflowers reclaim abandoned english coal mine 50 years after closure

New photos reveal how wildlife has reclaimed an abandoned coal mine in England nearly 50 years after it shut down.

The Chatterley Whitfield mine in Staffordshire last produced coal in 1976. Now, the son of a former miner has returned to document nature’s return to the site.

While the iconic pit head wheels and colliery buildings still stand, wildflowers now grow across the grounds and several species of owls have made the derelict structures home.

Photographer Andrew Mason, whose father John worked at the mine in the 1960s, captured images of barn owls and short-eared owls nesting in the high buildings. “The colliery is a living example of rewilding. You can literally see nature taking it back from the industrialized world,” Mason said. “There are barn owls living in the high buildings which are great as look-out posts to spot prey.”

With permission from Stoke-on-Trent’s City Council, which manages the property, Mason set up a blind in the former colliery to observe undisturbed. The site includes 15 listed buildings and is on Historic England’s heritage register.

Mason also spotted wild strawberries growing on old coal slag heaps. “It was quite fascinating to see how nature was taking over,” he said.

He now plans to set up trail cameras to document badgers and foxes known to live on the grounds.