NEHL - The Bates Pit was opened by the Cowpen Coal Co. in the 1930s, when the coal industry was still going strong in these parts. The original shafts were sunk in 1904 as part of the Cowpen Colliery network of pits, though a third shaft was sunk in 1932.

The complex was extensive, covering a significant amount of land which was previously farmland and marshes alongside an alkali works and some smaller dwellings. By the 1930s, extensive sidings were constructed alongside coal loaders on the river for ships. The original pit buildings appear to have been made out of timber and iron according to contemporary aerial imagery.

The pit closed soon after the miners strike, with the loss of 1735 jobs.