The Harp Inn has been a fixture in Neston since 1750, originally built as three miners' cottages. In 1780, it was converted into an inn to cater to the local mining community. The Neston Collieries, which operated nearby, were a significant part of the area's industrial heritage. The colliery provided employment to over 300 people in the 1920s, but it closed in 1927.

Despite the closure of the colliery, The Harp Inn has continued to thrive and serve as a beloved local pub. It's situated along the picturesque Wirral Coastal Path, offering stunning views of the North Wales coastline. The pub has maintained its charm and historical significance, making it a popular spot for both locals and visitors.

In 1828 it was known as the Welch Harp, followed by Harp in 1856 and finally settling on Harp Inn around 1865. It is believed to also have been known as the Old Harp Inn. 

Fun Fact: In 1958 the yard was converted into a garden and the first female toilets were installed. Previously, there had only been outdoor urinals for men! 

You can read our article where we sat down with the Wirral Globe and discussed our history here:

Great Wirral Pubs: Sea captains and pit ponies | Wirral Globe 

Neston Collieries, 1875-1927

In 1921 the owners of Harp Inn gave permission for two underground railroads directly beneath the Inn as the coal face was below the River Dee. License was granted in 1925 but the colliery was closed by 1927. 

'As well as the coal mining undertaken at Neston between 1759 and 1855 there was a later period of working which started in 1875 and finished in 1927. This operation was initially owned by the Neston Colliery Company but, later, this became the Wirral Colliery Company and variant names.

The mine operated at the bottom of today’s Marshlands Road in Little Neston, on the northern side. This was the site of the former Little Neston Colliery and later the Anglican Smelting, Reduction and Coal Company which closed in the early 1860s.

The mine worked a number of coal seams partly under the land surface but, more extensively, under the bed of the Dee Estuary. Like the earlier collieries in the area, the mine worked the Two Foot, Five Foot, Six Foot and Seven Foot seams; it also exploited the King Seam which was about two feet 6 inches (0.76 metres) thick.

The colliery was said to be producing about 100,000 tons annually in the 1890s; this had reduced to around 60,000 tons by 1923. A dedicated railway line was constructed between the colliery and sidings at Parkgate which, in turn, gave access to other lines; thus Neston coal was able to reach the homes, industries and docks on the Mersey side of the Wirral as well as locations elsewhere.

The mine was a major local employer and, at its peak in the early 1920s, over 300 men worked there'

Information from https://www.nestoncollieries.org/the-later-collieries