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Origin and history

The Meurchin Mine Company pit number 5, opened in 1904 at Billy-Berclau, marked the western expansion of the mining concession. Located 1,400 metres from pit no. 3-4, it was dug at a depth of 398.50 metres, with clashes at 149, 214 and 376.50 metres. Its well, which began on August 5, 1904, was designed to exploit the coal resources of the north-west of the concession, making it the most western and northern pit of the Company.

In 1920, the Meurchin Company was bought by the Lens Company, which rebuilt the pit in its architectural style. The extraction ceased in 1937, but the site was still used for ventilation and service of pit 3-4 until 1963. Nationalized in 1946 with Les Houillères du Bassin de Lens, the pit was finally abandoned in 1965, its well filled and its installations converted into a hunting lead plant between 1966 and 1992.

In the 21st century, Charbonnages de France materialized the wellhead, while the horse riding and extraction building, registered with historical monuments since 2011, were preserved. The site, which has been privately owned since then, was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012 as part of the Mining Basin. Housing requalification projects, studied in the 2010s, did not succeed for financial reasons.

The pit no. 5 is part of a mining landscape including working towns in Billy-Berclau and Douvrin, built by the Meurchin Company. These houses, coron and houses, testify to the social organisation linked to coal mining. Today, the site combines industrial memory and partial re-use, illustrating the heritage transition of former coal mines.

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