Coal has been mined in Polesworth at least since the time of the Abbey. By the 17th Century, the industry was firmly established, with many small pits being worked in and around the village. The extension of the Coventry Canal through Polesworth in 1790 and the openning of the Trent Valley railway in 1848 encouraged a steady growth in coal production.
By 1900, work had become concentrated in just three sites: Pooley Hall (left), Birchmoor and Birch Coppice collieries. Now the location of the Pooley Fields Heritage Centre, the Pooley Hall site had a long history of coal production, with the first deep shaft being sunk there in 1848. Pooley Hall Colliery (established in 1897) had one of the first pit head baths and, in the 1920s, provided electricity for Polesworth, Tamworth and Birmingham.
In 1951, Pooley Hall Colliery merged with nearby Amington and Tamworth Collieries to form North Warwick Colliery, under which name it traded until its closure in 1965. Mining carried on in the area until 1987, when Birch Coppice finally closed.
(See also: the industrial heritage map.)
Brick working and pottery have also featured strongly in Polesworth's industrial past. Pottery was produced during the 17th Century and, although the site of the Polesworth Pottery is not known, one of its spoil tips, discovered at Grendon Road, near the canal, has shown that a strong link existed between Polesworth and Staffordshire potters. An example of a Polesworth plate can be seen at the Science Museum in Birmingham.
Many brickworks once operated in the village. The Midland Brick and Terra Cotta Ltd. works (shown right) once dominated central Polesworth. Established in around 1813, the works were located on the canal, opposite the Bull's Head public house. The factory and associated wharf were finally demolished in 1971 to make way for a housing development.
(See also: the industrial heritage map.)