The deep history of British coal – from the Romans to the Ratcliffe shutdown

An aerial view of the Ratcliffe power station near Nottingham, England. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Britain’s transition to a low-carbon future has reached a milestone with the closure of its last remaining coal-fired power plant at Ratcliffe-on-Soar in Nottinghamshire.

The shutdown of the 57-year-old power plant on Monday ends more than 140 years of coal power generation in the UK – an industrial story closely interwoven with Britain’s socioeconomic and political history.