 The First World War, and the death of many men during it, as well as an embargo on exported coal, contributed to the decline of the pits; in 1920, the Gascoignes sold the pits and railway, both of which were steadily run down in the next decade.The line closed in 1924, the collieries in 1930.Much of the line is walkable as a public footpath, with a Ha-ha rebuilt as a railway cutting in the grounds of the Gascoignes family house still extant.