What is "coal house"

n. a shed for storing coal

Coal House is a Welsh television series made by Indus Films for BBC Wales, and broadcast on BBC One Wales, with a subsequent UK wide repeat of both series on BBC Four. Series 1 was set in the depressed economic coalfields of 1927, while Series 2 was set in 1944 as World War II draws to a close. Series 2 was broadcast on BBC across the UK from October 2009

The Coal House in Williamson, West Virginia is a unique building built of coal masonry. The bituminous coal was quarried as blocks and dressed as stone using 65 tons of coal from the nearby Winifrede Seam. At the time of its construction it was the only coal building in West Virginia. The house was designed by architect Hassel T. Hicks of Welch, West Virginia and supervised by David M. Goode. The coal masonry was varnished for weather-resistance. Located adjacent to the Mingo County Courthouse, it houses the Tug Valley Chamber of Commerce.

The building's construction in 1933 was organized as a publicity stunt by O. W. Evans of the Norfolk and Western Railway, who wished to create a symbol of the "Billion Dollar Coalfield" centered on Williamson. While it is known as the "Coal House", it has never been a residence.

West Virginia's second coal house was built in 1959 in Lewisburg, West Virginia.

On October 11, 2010 the Coal House caught fire. There was extensive damage to the inside of the building and minimal damage to the outside structure. Following $200,000 of restoration work the Coal House was reopened in September 2011.