| AdminHistory | Following the nationalisation of the coal industry in 1947, the National Coal Board became one of the largest owners of real estate in the country. Its holdings at this time included extensive areas of farmland and over 140,000 houses as well as operational land and buildings. The role of the Estates Branch was to manage the surface estates and housing, acquire land for various purposes and dispose of land and property no longer required. [Information taken from The National Archive Catalogue, COAL 45, accessed 24 Feb 2021.] |