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Calendar
The Decline Of The Industry Continued
After Nationalisation 1947

Chimneys
1993
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1993 - Page 11


Bolsover Closed After 102 Years

BolsoverBolsover (North Derbyshire) sunk in 1890-1891 by the Bolsover Colliery Co with 12 men to the west of Bolsover Town, was closed through exhaustion on 7th May 1993 after 103 years.

Highest ever manpower was 2,042 in 1925 and highest tonnage 710,987 tonnes in 1978-1979.

  • No1 shaft 364½ yards (333m) 14 feet dia (4.27m), Sep 1891, deepened to Waterloo 1923
  • No2 shaft 356 yards (326m) and deepened to Blackshale at 757 yards (692m) in 1923-1924
  • No3 shaft 21ft (6.4m) dia 365½ yards (334m) deep, started in 1923 but suspended in Nov 1926, restarted Dec 1927 but at 665 yards (608m) deep suspended again until Mar 1932 and not completed until Aug 1932 at 737 yards (674m).

Shaft positions: SK47SE,

  • No1 shaft 446119, 371050
  • No2 shaft 446083, 371032
  • No3 shaft 446046, 371100

This was the first pit sunk by the Bolsover Colliery Company to the rich Top Hard seam, 6 feet thick (1.80m). Emerson Bainbridge leased lands in 1889.

The dip of the seams varied from 1in3 on the anticline to 1in40.

Production started Sep 1891 and it was the first pit to achieve a production of 3,000 tons in a day.

A model village of 200 houses was built 1891-1894. The houses at 3s 6d (17½p) rent for a 3 bed roomed one and 3s 0d (15p) for a smaller one were well equipped with front garden, allotment gardens, pig sty etc.

As well as a school (1893), co-operative store, welfare institute for indoor activities and games, a Methodist and an Anglican church, playing fields for cricket, football, hockey, bowling green etc was provided also.

Boys and Girls Brigades and SJAB (St John’s Ambulance Brigades) were set up as well as a colliery brass band. The village was self contained and the company had their own ‘bobby’ to keep the villagers in check.

Coal cutting machines were introduced in 1932 to all faces where colliers hand-filled onto the face conveyors which in turn delivered onto gate conveyors to outbye loading points where tubs were filled then transported to the pit bottom by rope haulages.

A new screening and washing plant was operational in 1933 and in 1936 a flocculation plant installed.

Pit head baths were opened in Apr 1935.

In 1942 American machinery installed with mechanised stone loader introduced in 1943 and by 1944 Joy Loaders and shuttle cars were being used for coal production.

An aerial ropeway to the dirt tip was commissioned in 1943.

Diesel locos were operational underground in 1945.

Further housing was built by the NCB after 1947.

The brickworks were producing up to 20,000 bricks a day for use at the colliery.

In June 1950 a major change to continuous mining with the introduction of 6 Gloster getter coal cutting machines.

There was a connection through to Ramcroft.


An Anderton Shearer

An Anderton shearer was introduced in 1957/58.

No2 shaft was electrified in 1961.
No1 shaft was dispensed with in 1974.
Electric winder installed at No3 shaft and Skip winding in 1976.

The pit was locally referred to as Bowser.

The Dunnose grid values for the three shafts are

  • No1: 955,072.02, 24,472.52
  • No2: 955,010.32, 24,577.74
  • No3: 955,238.98, 24,711.41

Underground locos: 3’ 0” gauge 2 x 0-4-0 DMF 50hp HE 1945 and 1947, 6 x 0-6-0 DMF 100hp HE 1948, 2’ 0” gauge 4wBEF CRT3+ CE 1977.

Seams worked:

  • Top Hard (top softs 1’ 0”, hards 1’ 1½”, strong brights 4”, softs with pyrites 5½”, branch or cannel 7”, bottom softs 10”, soft spavin 4”, total 6’ 8½” (0.30m, 0.34m, 0.10m, 0.14m, 0.18m, 0.10m, total 2.04m) 1891 - Dec 1932 and again 1961
  • Waterloo opened by South East drift Mar 1924, and North East drift Mar 1932 - 1939, -1961,
  • Deep Hard developed in 1925-1929, re-opened Mar 1938-1986
  • Tupton (Low Main) Sep 1932-Sep 1936, -1991
  • Threequarter -1987
  • Blackshale 4’ 5” (1.35m) Sep 1932 - 22nd Aug 1942.

Manpower Bolsover Co:

  • 1891: 12 men opening out Top Hard
  • 1894: 634 Top Hard, 216 s/f
  • 1895: 721 Top Hard, 218 s/f
  • 1896: 749 TH, 236 s/f
  • 1897: 595,800 tons, 783 TH, 233 s/f
  • 1898: 803 TH, 228 s/f
  • 1899: 921 TH 239 s/f
  • 1900: 921 TH, 239 s/f
  • 1901: 1,127 TH, 229 s/f
  • 1902: 1,025 TH, 241 s/f
  • 1903: 1,073 T, 222 s/f
  • 1904: 1,217 TH, 225 s/f
  • 1905: 1,217 TH, 225 s/f
  • 1906: 1,225 TH, 220 s/f
  • 1907: 758,000 tons, 1,199 TH, 215 s/f
  • 1908: 1,254 TH, 243 s/f
  • 1909: 1,317 TH, 239 s/f
  • 1910: app 1,320 TH, 245 s/f
  • 1911: 1,322 TH, 255 s/f
  • 1912: 1,326 TH, 266 s/f
  • 1913: 1,348 TH, 246 s/f
  • 1914: 1,365 TH, 263 s/f
  • 1915: 1,251 TH, 264 s/f
  • 1916: 1,161 TH, 266 s/f
  • 1917: 1,164 TH, 300 s/f
  • 1918: 1,108 TH, 318 s/f
  • 1919: 1,290 TH, 487 s/f
  • 1920: 1,292 TH, 479 s/f
  • 1921: 1,403 TH, 473 s/f
  • 1922: 1,396 TH, 491 s/f
  • 1923: 1,340 TH, 570 s/f
  • 1924: 1,296 Top Hard, Waterloo opening, 673 s/f
  • 1925: 1,384 Top Hard, Waterloo and Deep Hard opened, 658 s/f
  • 1926: 1,255 TH, W, DH, 521 s/f
  • 1927: 1,299 TH, W, DH, 576 s/f
  • 1928: 1,194 TH, W, DH, 465 s/f
  • 1929: 1,273 TH, W, DH, 349 s/f
  • 1930: 1,163 TH, W, DH, 377 s/f
  • 1931: 1,007 Top Hard, Waterloo and Deep Hard
  • 1932: 1,021 Top Hard fin, Deep Hard fin, Waterloo, Blackshale open, 315 s/f
  • 1933: 1,249 Waterloo and Blackshale, 392 s/f
  • 1934: 1,196 Waterloo, Blackshale and Low Main opened, 346 s/f
  • 1935:1,196 W, BS, LM, 364 s/f
  • 1937: 1,176 Waterloo and Blackshale, Low Main finished 367 s/f
  • 1938: 1,226 Waterloo, Blackshale, Deep Hard re-opened, 379 s/f
  • 1939: 1,200, Waterloo fin, 400 s/f
  • 1940: 1,192 Blackshale and Deep Hard, 417 s/f
  • 1941: 1,164 BS, DH, 421 s/f
  • 1942: 1,232 Blackshale fin, 408 s/f
  • 1943: 1,242 Deep Hard only, 392 s/f
  • 1944: 1,242 DH, 381 s/f
  • 1945: 1,191 DH, 373 s/f
  • 1945: 1,170 DH, 380 s/f
  • 1946: 1,170 DH, 380 s/f, total 1,550 men and boys.

Output and Manpower NCB:

  • 1947 No1 Area (HQ Bolsover): DH 569,026 tons, 1,504 total men and boys u/g and s/f
  • 1948: 578,934 tons, 1,515 men
  • 1949: 599,047 tons, 1,482 men
  • 1950: 477,871 tons, reduced to 1,030 men u/g, 1,222 men
  • 1951: 353,363 tons, 1,012 men
  • 1952: 374,572 tons, 942 men
  • 1953: 424,586 tons, 978 men
  • 1954: 324,730 tons, 1,013 men
  • 1955: 390,305 tons, 1,042 men
  • 1956: 433,254 tons, 1,058 men
  • 1957: 501,772 tons, 1,063 men
  • 1958: 446,695 tons, 1,075 men
  • 1959: 444,155 tons, 1,044 men
  • 1960: 444,072 tons, 1,060 men
  • 1961: 472,547 tons, 1,018 men
  • 1962: 405,766 tons, 992 men
  • 1963/64: 494,743 tons, 973 men
  • 1964/65: 555,826 tons, 943 men
  • 1965/66: 579,446 tons, 909 men
  • 1966/67: 515,875 tons, 915 men

North Derbyshire Area (HQ Bolsover) 1967/68: 628,657 tons, 924 men

  • 1968/69: 652,023 tons, 889 men
  • 1969/70: 653,658 tons, 848 men
  • 1970/71: 651,311 tons, 607 Deep Hard, 239 s/f, 846 men
  • 1971/72: 553,415 tons, 836 men
  • 1972/73: 645,138 tons, 810 men
  • 1973/74: 490,298 tons, 768 men
  • 1974/75: 651,479 tons, 821 men
  • 1975/76: 631,246 tons, 858 men
  • 1976/77: 631,187 tons, 891 men
  • 1977/78: 613,968 tonnes (604,269 tons), 971 men
  • 1978/79: 710,987 tonnes, 960 men
  • 1979/80: 690,234 tonnes, 963 men
  • 1980/81: 682,176 tonnes, 1,039 men
  • 1981/82: 693,194 tonnes, 1,040 men
  • 1982/83: 662,141 tonnes, 1,031 men
  • 1983/84: 534,138 tonnes, 990 men
  • 1984/85: 389,497 tonnes, 948 men
  • 1985/86: British Coal: Deep Hard finished, 594,757 tonnes, 905 men
  • 1986/87: Threequarter fin, Tupton (Low Main) 650,000 tonnes, 750 men

North Derbyshire Area merged with South Midlands to form Central Area (HQ Coleorton) 1987/88: LM ….tonnes, men

  • 1988/89: LM…. tonnes, men
  • 1989/90: LM…. tonnes, men
  • 1990/91: Low Main….tonnes, men
  • 1991/92: Low Main …tonnes, men
  • 1992/93: tonnes, …men
  • 1993/94: tonnes. Colliery closed May 1993

 

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