'The State of the Collieries at and near Nailsea', 1811
Extract from ‘The Reports of Mr William Smith, and Mr Edward Martin, to the Bristol and Taunton Canal Company, on the State of the Collieries at and near Nailsea, in Somersetshire', 1811 (Archive ref: LDGSL/745).
This item is an extremely rare report written by William Smith in 1811. It was commissioned by the Bristol and Taunton Canal Company, who wanted to know whether there was a sufficient supply of workable coal in the area around Nailsea to justify the construction of a new canal to transport it all the way to Bristol.
According to the report, Smith was of the opinion that there was. Only the Bridgewater-Taunton part of the canal was constructed, opening in 1827.