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Pits in the East Midlands - Page 1

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We need to remeber our pits and this is one way to do it.

Denis Wilkinson List Notts/Derbys Pits 1957 - 65

Ilkeston And Heanor, Where Coal Was King

Alan Beales Database of Fatalities in the Midlands and Yorkshire Coal Fields


Name of Colliery
Where Situated
Who Owned
1. Albert
2. Alma
3. Alma
4. Aspenshaw
5. Avenue
Sheepbridge
Clay Cross
New Mills
Hayfield
Chesterfield
Derbyshire Silkstone Coal Co. Limited
Thos. Holdsworth.
J. Jowitt.
Aspenshaw Coal Co.
Wingerworth Coal Co.

Annesley Pit near Kirkby-in-Ashfield was sunk in 1860 by the Annesley Colliery Co. with production beginning in 1865. Two shafts were sunk to the Top Hard seam and each had it's own headgear.
In 1925 the colliery was sold to the New Hucknall Colliery Company and in 1947 it was nationalsied.

By 1982 the Annesley Bentinck Concentration Scheme was completed and in December 2000, the colliery's owners Midland Mining closed the pit, despite the large coal reserves beneath the surface.
Photo H.G.Owston of Annesley Woodhouse 1909.
Fatal Colliery Accident - June 27th 1877 Annesley, Notts
More pictures of Annesley


Awsworth, "Nos. 1 & 2"

Kimberley. Originally owned by the Awsworth Colliery Co., Kimberley, nr. Nottingham

Name of Colliery
Where Situated
Who Owned
6. Barlow
7. Barlow Lees
8. Bailey Brook
9. Barlborough
10. Barlborough
Sheepbridge
Chesterfield
Alfreton
Staveley
Chesterfield
Sheepbridge Coal and Iron Co.
Monkwood Colliery Co.
Butterley Iron and Coal Co.
Staveley Coal and Iron Co. Limited.
M. Barber.
11. Bathurst Main
12. Beard and Bugsworth
13. Blackwell
14. Birchwood
15. Birley
Bolsover
New Mills
Alfreton
Alfreton
Alfreton
Levi and Elijah Hall.
Backwell Colliery Co. Limited.
C. Seely and Co.
West Sheffield.
Sheffield Coal Co.
16. Birley
17. Birley Railway
18. Birch Vale
19. Blackshale
20. Blackshale

South Sheffield
Sheffield
New Mills
Pye Bridge
Newbold

Jeffcock and Dunn.
Sheffield Coal Co Limited.
Thomas Bennett.
J. Oakes and Co.
C. H. Plevins and Co.

21. Boyle Hill
22. Boythorpe Lane
23. Bottoms Hall
24. Brampton
25. Bretby Nos.1,2,3

Alfreton
Chesterfield
Stockport
Chesterfield
Burton-on-Trent
Marshall and Tingle.
Chesterfield and Boythorpe Coal Co.
J. and M. Tymm.
Wright and Knowles
Countess of Chesterfield.

26. Bridge Inn
27. Brands
28. Brickyard
29. Britain
30. Brockwell

Chesterfield
Alfreton
Alfreton
Alfreton
Alfreton
J. B. Crooks.
Butterley Iron and Coal Co.
Butterley Iron and Coal Co.
Butterley Iron and Coal Co.
C. J. Saunders.

31. Broom House
32. Brushes
33. Bull Close, Nos.1 and 2
34. Bugsworth
35. Burned Edge 1,2
36. Butterley Park
37. Butterley Park nos.1-5

Sheepbridge
Chesterfield
Unstone
New Mills
New Mills
Alfreton
Alfreton

Whittington & Sheepbridge Coal Co.
John Cropper.
John Hewitt and Sen.
Thos. Bennett.
L. and E. Hall.
Butterley Iron and Coal Co.
Butterley Iron and Coal Co.


Babbington Colliery
Shane Phillips Collection

Bailey Brook Pit

Pit Cage Accident
In 1900, a miner at Bailey Brook pit had forgotten to change his hat, and went down the mine still wearing the bowler hat which he wore to and from work. He was sent back to the surface to fetch his pit hat. On the way back down the shaft, the cage stopped at the water lodge, about 45 yards above the pit bottom - the man didn't realise this, opened the safety bar, and fell to his death.

Information From Heanor and District Local History Society


Bennerley - Supplied coal to Bennerley Ironworks.
Bentick "No. 1", Kirkby. Bentinck colliery, 1911. Owned by the New Hucknall Company, Bentinck (Kirkby), also the family name of the Dukes of Portland, started production in 1896.
Bentinck, "No. 2" Kirkby. Originally owned by New Hucknall Colliery Co., Mansfield
Bentinck, "No. 3" Kirkby. Originally owned by New Hucknall Colliery Co., Mansfield

Bentinck

Bentinck colliery, 1911. Owned by the New Hucknall Company, Bentinck (Kirkby), also the family name of the Dukes of Portland, started production in 1896. It was the first British colliery to produce one million tons in seven months, and in 1978, 20 acres of barley was grown on the tip. By the 1980s the screening sheds at Bentinck were part of a modern coal preparation plant which also processed coal from Annesley and Newstead. Most of the output went to Ratcliffe Power Station.
In April 2000 the winding wheels were purchased for 100 and taken to a mining heritage centre at Newcastle under Lyme.


Bestwood Nottingham. Originally owned by Bestwood Coal and Iron Co., near Nottingham
Billy Hall’s Pit (Lodge Colliery) Merged with Moorgreen 1959, After 71 Years - Robert Bradley
Blidworth Colliery
Brinsley Colliery. A Barber and Walker Colliery near Eastwood, Brinsley (1872-1970)
Broxtowe, Basford. Originally owned by Babbington Coal Co., Babbington, Nottingham
Brookhill and Pinxton Colliery
Bulwell, Basford. Originally owned by Babbington Coal Co., Cinderford, Nottingham
Calverton Colliery, NottinghamCalverton Colliery

For More Pictures of Calverton Colliery Go To
Stuart Tomlins Collection of photographs

And Shane Phillips

1992 : Calverton Colliery employed 749 men and broke the weekly production record of 40,500 tonnes. During the same week British Coal announced plans to close it.

More information visit
Calverton, a Nottinghamshire Village and it's People
.


Name of Colliery Where Situated Who Owned
38. Carnfield
39. Carr Close
Pinxton
Ilkeston
Coke and Company
Bardsley and Smith

40. Carr Close
41. Calley
42. Campbell
43. Chisworth
44. Clay Cross Nos 1-6

Ilkeston
Alfreton
Staveley
New Mills
Clay Cross
Enoch Mould.
Butterley Iron aud Coal Co.
Staveley Coal and Iron Co. Ltd.
J. Jowitt.
Clay Cross Co.

45. Coton and Lenton
46. Cottam
47. Cottam Old
48. Cottam New
49. Coates Park

Lenton
Eckington
Eckington
Eckington
Alfreton
Coton Park and Lenton Colliery Co.
Appleby and Co.
Renishaw Coal and Iron Co.
Renishaw Coal and Iron Co.
J. Oakes and Co.

50. Compstall Road
51. Comber Wood
52. Coppice
53. Cumberland
54. Cutthorpe

Ludworth
Killamarsh
Shipley
Clay Cross
Chesterfield
Andrews and Son
John Shirtcliff
A. M. Mundy
Kirby and Cross
J. Springthorpe

Careful -
Disused 1926 In jitty below Granby School - 2 stone pillars over shafts covered in concrete 1912.
Carr Close

Cinderhill 1906

Cinderhill - Babbington Coal Co. (Basford, Nottingham ), sunk between 1841 and 1843, was the first pit in the Notts concealed coal seam. It was developed by Thomas North, a legend in his own lifetime, and a pioneer who introduced much new technology including the tandem-linked headgear which can be seen in the picture. He also built 28 miles of private railway line. When North died, penniless, it was the miners who contributed to his memorial which still stands in Old Basford cemetery. The man with the horse and cart is going to the landsales office and the trucks are Midland Railway and Great Northern.
After the pit closed in 1986, the Phoenix Business Centre was developed on the site.


Clifton, "Nos. 1 & 2", Nottingham. Originally owned by Clifton Colliery Co., Nottingham


Clifton Colliery underground. Empty truck on left and full truck coming in from the right.

Calverton Colliery 1926
Clifton Colliery 1926 - Possibly During The General Strike.


End of Shift


Coal Screens 1895
Coal Screens 1895 - By now children were not allowed underground
but they could still be employed above ground.

Thanks to Charles Snarski For The Photos


Clinton, Eastwood. Originally owned by P. Newton, 4, Albert St., Derby

Clipstone Colliery, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The shafts were sunk in 1922 to exploit the Top Hard seam. In the 1950s the shafts were deepened to 920m to provide access to other seams.

In 1993 British Coal closed the colliery but in April 1994 it was reopened under the control of RJB Mining. (Closed April 2003)

Photo's by Chris Sampson


Coppice No1

Coppice - Opened 1875 Closed 1966 Now Shipley Park Visitors Centre. Tip planted with trees.

Heroic Act Rewarded
In November 1922, two men were buried by a roof fall at the Coppice Pit, Shipley. Two pit deputies, Stephen Richards and James Beresford, at once started working to get at the men, at great risk to themselves as the roof was "bitting" and falling the whole time. Richards got timber and made a cover for the men while the pair worked to release them. The fall had got one man pinned against a tram, with a big lump holding down his foot, and his arm buried inside the tram - to get him free, Richards had to lie down and "hole" the dirt away. Beresford was working to free the other man, while the roof was still breaking away. It took over 3 hours for the two brave deputies to release the trapped men, who would have undoubtedly died had it not been for their rescuers; actions

In July 1923, Richards and Beresford attended Buckingham Palace to receive the Edward Medal (a medal for civilian gallantry in the mines, now superseded by the George Cross). There was also an event at the Boat Inn, Shipley, where they were presented with a gold watch and chain, £10 from the Company, £5 from Major Mundy, and a Carnegie Trust Award.

Explosion at Coppice Colliery
On Monday 28 June, 1943, four men were fatally injured by an explosion at the Coppice Colliery, Shipley. It was around 10 in the morning, while shotfiring operations were taking place. Immediately prior to a controlled explosion being carried out, there had been "a loud bump," which was probably part of the roof giving way. It is thought that this caused a leak of methane gas, which ignited when the shot was fired.

Wilfred Noon, Archibald Bestwick, John Holmes, and James Draper, all of Heanor, were badly burned, and later died of their injuries. Two other men were also badly injured.

Being in the middle of the war, the incident received less publicity than would normally have been the case. No public enquiry was held, as would have been the case today, though the Coroner did say that he hoped that the technical evidence in the case would be of assistance in preventing future such accidents.

Information From Heanor and District Local History Society


Cossall - From its sinking in 1870 until closure in 1966 it was very much a conventional colliery with upcast and downcast shafts. Nearby Oakwood Grange Colliery (sunk circa 1937) was a drift mine. Around 1956 the two collieries were amalgamated, with the Oakwood Grange coals being brought to the surface via a new drift at Cossall Colliery. Cossall Colliery had a brickette works. The tip later became, for some time, a ski slope.
Gary Henshaw.

Registered Office was in Nottingham. In 1923 the annual output of coal was 240,000 tons. By 1933 Cossall coal was used for Gas, Household and Steam. Pyrites was also mined at the pit and 200 tons of C.C.C. Diamond Briquettes were made each day. The Brickyard made 10,000 bricks per day. Information from

Durham Mining Museum

Cossall Colliery

George Birkin worked at Cossall Pit.


Cotgrave Colliery

Cotmanhay - Opened 1848 Closed 1880 Poplar Farm side of Erewash Canal where railway crosses.

Name of Colliery Where Situated Who Owned

55. Dale
56. Danes Moor
57. Deeps
58. Denby
59. Denby Pottery

Stanton Gate
Clay Cross
Pye Bridge
Denby
Denby
Stanton Iron Co.
Clay Cross Co.
J. Oakes and Co.
W D. Lowe.
Bourne and Sons.
60. Denby Hall
61. Dimminsdale Old
62. Dimminsdale New
63. Dolley Tunnel
64. Drift
Alfreton
Tibshelf
Tibshelf
New Mills
Unstone
?
Edward Chambers.
Edward Chambers.
Thomas Bennett.
H. Rangeley and Son.

65. Dronfield Silkstone
66. Dunston

Dronfield
Sheepbridge
Dronfield Silkstone Coal Co.Ltd.
Sheepbridge Coal and Iron Co. Ltd.

Dale Abbey
- Dismantled 1921.
Daws Mill - Underground Pictures

Dead Dog - Manor Ground was spoil heap of Dead Dog Pit. Site purchased by Corporation in 1938. Tesco Supermarket now on site. This pit stopped the spring which fed Ilkeston Baths/Spa.

Deepfields - Working in 1824 .

Digby

Digby, near Eastwood near Nottingham. Originally owned by Digby Colliery Co., It is notable for what happened during the General Strike. In the autumn of 1926, 70% of the men at Digby had resumed work and the rest begged George Spencer (Labour MP and NUM official) to get their jobs back. For this he was expelled from the union and the breakaway Spencer union was formed.


Doe Lea Drift Mine also known as Dominic's or Heath pit - Brian Knowles


Name of Colliery Where Situated Who Owned
67. Ell Vein Shalgh
68. Eureka
69. Exhibition
Clay Cross
Swadlincote
Alfreton
North Wingfield Colliery Co.
J & N. Nadin.
Butterley Iron and Coal Co.
70. Fullswood
71. Forty Horse
72. Forge
73. Foxley Oaks
74. Furnace
Dronfield
Alfreton
Whittington
Whittington
Clay Cross
A. Badger and Son.
Butterley Iron and Coal Co.
Knowles and Co.
Whittington Silkstone Colliery Co. Ltd.
Kirkby and Cross.

Firbeck Colliery
, Worksop, Notts. This colliery was in between Langold and Costhorpe villages. Photo supplied by Glynis Wellings.

Name of Colliery Where Situated Who Owned
75. Gomersal
76. Gosforth
77. Goyte
78. Gresley
79. Greascroft Wood
Dronfield
Buxton
Buxton
Church Gresley
Church Gresley
John Sheard.
Dronfield Silkstone Coal Co.Ltd.
Buxton Lime Co.
Lord Donington.
Israel Knowles.
80. Gresley Common
81. Gresley Wood
82. Granby Nos.1,2,3
83. Grassmoor
84. Granville
85. Gun Lane
Ilkeston
Whittington
Alfreton
Chesterfield
Swadlincote
Belper
James Woodward.
Moira Colliery Co.
Butterley Iron and Coal Co.
Grassmoor Co.
Granville Colliery Co. Limited.
Isaac Shore.

A photo of the view looking up the pit yard at Gedling, where trains and lorries were loaded, sent in by Pete Shucksmith.
GedlingThe Shane Phillips Collection

Name of Colliery Where Situated Who Owned
86. Hasland
87. Hartshay
88. Hartington
89. Hallows Farm
90. Heage (old)
Chesterfield
New Mills
Staveley
Dronfield
Chesterfield
Dr. Cornelius Black.
Butterley Iron and Coal Co.
Staveley Iron and Coal Co.
Dronfield Silkstone Coal Co. Limited.
W. G. Cursham.

91. Heage(new)
92. Heanor Common side
93. Heanor Lane
94. Highfield
95. Highfield

Chesterfield
Heanor
Langley Mill
Chesterfield
Chesterfield
W. G. Cursham.
Gillett Brothers.
Henry Fletcher.
G. Senior.
Theophilus Pearson.

96. High Lane
97. High Lee
98. Hill Top
99. Hollingwood Old
100. Hollingwood

Eckington
New Mills
Dronfield
Staveley
Eckington
Trustees of J. and C. Wells.
Thomas Bennett.
Dronfield Brick Co.
Staveley Coal and Iron Co Ltd.
J. H. Gosling and Co.
101. Holme
102. Holme Close
103. Holmewood
104. Holbrook
105. Hornthorpe
106. Hundall
Chesterfield
Chesterfield
Chesterfield
Killamarsh
Eckington
Unstone
J. H. Crooks.
H. J. Edwards.
Hardwick Coal Co.
J. and G. Wells.
J. and G. Wells.
Hundall Colliery Co.

High Park, Eastwood. Originally owned by Barber, Walker, & Co., Eastwood, Nottingham

Hucknall No. 1 and No. 2 Collieries. Of all Nottinghamshire's collieries none has been more closely associated with the development of a major town than Hucknall, the first of a chain of important mines to be constructed in the Leen Valley proper.

Name of Colliery Where Situated Who Owned

107. Ireland
108. Ilkeston

Staveley
Ilkeston
Staveley Coal and Iron Co Ltd.
Butterley Iron and Coal Co.

109. Killamarsh
110. Kirkhallam
111. Kilburn
112. Kitchen Wood

Ekington
Ilkeston
Kilburn
Dronfield
John Sutcliffe.
Kirkhallam Coal and Iron Co.
J. and N. Nadin.
Woodhouse W. Bedford and Co.

Kimberley, Colliery, Swingate area, Nottinghamshire.
Opened in 1852 and closed in 1897. A difficult and dangerous pit.

Kimberley, Colliery, Swingate area, Nottinghamshire

Kirk Hallam - Closed 1882

Name of Colliery Where Situated Who Owned
113. Langley
114. Langton
115. Langwith
116. Laund
117. Lings
Alfreton
Pinxton
Langwith
Belper
Chesterfield
Butterley Iron and Coal Co.
Pinxton Coke and Co.
Sheepbridge Coal and Iron Co.
Belper Laund Colliery Co.
Wingerworth Coal Co.
118. Loscoe
119. Locoford
Alfreton
Chesterfield
Butterley Iron and Coal Co.
Philemon Hicks.

Langton, "Nos. 7 & 9". Originally owned by Pinxton Coke and Co., Pinxton, Alfreton

A little bit about Langwith Colliery 1876 – 1978. In August 1864 Sheepbridge Coal and Iron Co Ltd., based near Chesterfield, was formed with a capital of £500,000 with J Stores-Smith as Managing Director and F Fowler as Vice Chairman. They sank Langwith Colliery in 1876 to the rich Top Hard seam and owned it until nationalisation. Initially it was to provide fuel for their furnaces but coal mining soon became an important part of the company in its own right.

Langwith Colliery


Linby Nottingham. Originally owned by Linby Colliery Co., Nottingham
Lodge colliery at Newthorpe, Nottinghamshire, always referred to as Billy Halls pit, (died 1892) sunk pre 1890, then owned by William Hall Junior after 1892 until about 1896. The colliery was taken over by Ilkeston Collieries Ltd in 1932. Further sinking, then closed and merged with Moorgreen, maximum manpower was 459 in 1958.

Loscoe Colliery - 1830's to 1933, Heanor, Derbyshire
This pit was sunk by Goodwin and Griffin in the early 1830's to work the Deep Hard and Deep soft seams.

It was taken over in 1840 by E.D.Whittingstall and then by the Butterley Co. in 1856. They owned coal mines in the Riddings, Ripley and area.

(Excerpts from the diary of Joseph Hutsby, an official at the Old Loscoe Pit from 1841 to 1846)

Thursday February 29 1844:
Laystill at both pits in consequence of a boy falling in the soft coal pit, namely Samuel Weston aged 14 years from Taghill. Missed his foot hold in trying to get a chain to go down in the morning. The inquest was held at William Row's at the Nag's Head in Taghill today. Brought in accidental. I was on jury for the first time.
Mr Whetstone the Coroner of Derby.

Sunday March 3 1844:
I and John (son) went to Samuel Weston funeral.

Wednesday May 29 1845
Turning at both pits. Charles Allen caught hold of the end of the chain coming out of the bottom of the soft cold pit and held while he could, he told William Leivers who was at the bottom he could hold no longer, and then dropped and killed himself, being about 10 years and 10 months old. Mr Whiston the Coroner passing this way today, an inquest was held at the Golden Ball, Loscoe. I was on the Jury.

Friday May 30 1845
Turned all day at hard, ½ day at soft. I was at Colliery. John went to Charles Allen funeral to night.
There were no heroes who could have saved young Samuel and Charles, given the primitive method of descending and rising from the pit - just a rope or chain to hang onto!

Name of Colliery Where Situated Who Owned
120. Main
121. Marehay
122. Marlpool
123. Manners
124. Mapperley
Swadlincote
Marehay
Heanor
Ilkeston
Ilkeston
J. and N. Nadin.
Marehay Colliery Co.
Heanor and Marlpool Co.
Manners Colliery Co.
Glendon Iron Co.

125. Mill brow
126. Millfield
127. Monkwood (Old)
128. Morton
129. Morley Hill

Ludworth
Ilkeston
Chesterfield
Chesterfield
Wingfield
Ludworth Brck Co.
Matthew Hobson.
Monkwood Colliery Co.
Clay Cross Co.
Geo. Pearson and Co.

Manner Pit

Manners Pit, originally owned by Ilkeston Collieries Ltd, was behind the Ilkeston Mines Rescue station. Opened in 1877 it closed on the 29th Oct 1949 as part of the N.C.B's centralisation scheme. In an attempt to reduce overheads the NCB decided to close some pits and access their reserves from others.

In 1948 Sir Herbert Houldsworth, of the NCB warned the consultative committee that Manners was on the list for possible closure however numbers employed at the pit rose from 500 to 531. Despite this the bad news came, the NCB said the pit was not profitable enough, the coal seams were too far from the pit bottom. The axe fell and from the end of 1948 miners were moved to Shipley and Cossall then later to Mapperley and Stanley Drift.


Mansfield Colliery, Forest Town

Mansfield Colliery
Sunk in 1903 by the Bolsover Colliery Company. The first coal was not extracted until 1909.
It was not an easy pit and the Pit Head Baths were not opened until 1903

Thanks to Charles Snarski For The Photo
More Photos, See Shane Phillips


Mapperley - Opened 1872 Closed 1965
Mapperley Colliery, Pit Ponies and Alfred Shaw


Click Here For
Mapperley Pit Gallery

Thanks to Phil Wyles for the above images.


Moorgreen Colliery was established in 1865 and closed in 1985. It was originally owned by Barber, Walker and Co., Eastwood, Nottingham.

Name of Colliery Where Situated Who Owned
130. Newcastle Shipley E. M. Mundy.
131. Newhill Park Burton Countess of Chesterfield.
132. New Hucknall Mansfield New Hucknall Colliery Co.
133. New Main Chesterfield F. S. Whitworth.
134. Newmarket Clay Cross Kirby and Co.

135. Nesfield

Barlow

Sheepbridge Coal and Iron Co. Limited.

136. Nether Heage

Belper

Isaac Shore and Co.

137. New Brampton

Chesterfield

Wright and Knowles.

138. New Main

Ripley

Butterley Iron and Coal Co.

139. New Pit

Eckington

John Rhodes.

140. New Heanor

Heanor

W. J. Grimshaw.

141. Newbold Lane

Chesterfield

Henry Naylor.

142. North Wingfield no7

Clay Cross

Clay Cross Co.

143. Norwood

Eckington

Sheepbridge Coal and Iron Co. Limited.

144. North Derbyshire Brick Works

Stockport

North Derbyshire Brick and Tile Co.

145. Northfield

Shirland

Northfield Colliery Co.

146. Norman

Ilkeston

Samuel Shaw.

147. Nutbrook

Shipley

A. M. Mundy.

Newcastle - In operation 1824 Off Shipley Common Lane - had fire ventilation shaft taken to Lound Museum. House next to pit tilted sideways at about 20 degrees but remained occupied. It was originally owned by Babbington Coal Co., Cinderford, Nottingham.


Newcastle Colliery, Nottingham - Also known as Whitemoor Colliery - Photo


New Granby - Opened 1868 Closed 1888. A tramway ran from Old to New Granby which was on what is now Portland Road. A few years ago a man got up one morning, opened his back door to go into his garden and nearly fell into the opened up shaft of New Granby - 600 feet deep.

New London, Eastwood. It was originally owned by Digby Colliery Co., near Nottingham
New Selston, Alfreton. It was originally owned by J. Oakes and Co., Riddings, Alfreton
Newstead, Nottingham. It was originally owned by Newstead Colliery Co., Nottingham

Name of Colliery Where Situated Who Owned

148. Oakerthorpe

Wingfield

Geo. Pearson and Co.

149. Oakwell

Ilkeston

Ilkeston Colliery Co.

150. Old Birchwood

Langley Mill

Butterley Iron Co.

151. Old Dunston

Newbold

Geo. Orwin.

152. Ormond

Langley Mill

John Beardsley.

153. Owl Coates (Heath)

Chesterfield

Messrs. Galloway.


Oakwell
- Opened 1874 Closed 1911 On Derby Road, Ilkeston

Ollerton

Old Granby - Site acquired in 1896 for Recreation ground. 3 shafts on Granby Park, 2 across Cotmanhay Road under new houses, formerly marked by stone pillars -Shaft covered in concrete.

We lived in one of these new houses when the hollows appeared in Granby park. A lot of work was done to properly cap off the shafts. There was also a shaft in the front garden of one of the houses near us, but there were no problems with it.

Name of Colliery Where Situated Who Owned

154. Park House No.4

Clay Cross

Clay Cross Co.

155. Park Gate

Eckington

J. and C. Wells Trustees of.

156. Peacock

Ilkeston

Joseph Belfield Shorthose

157. Pasture Lane

Tibshelf

Edward Chambers.

158. Pentrich

Pentrich

W. C. Haslam.

159. Pinxton

Pinxton

Coke and Co.

160. Pilsley 1,2,3

Clay Cross

Holdsworth and Co.

161. Pleasley

Chesterfield

Stanton Iron Co.

162. Plumbley

Eckington

John Rhodes.

163. Prince Albert

Eckington

J. and C. Wells.

Peacock (Careful Colliery)

Peacock 1880s

Peacock Colliery, Ilkeston, was closed 1893, just over 5 years after photo taken. The pit was on Vicarage Avenue Cotmanhay. Now site of new bungalows!


From:
Sent:
Subject:
Christina Sharpe
29 November 2011
A correction to spelling of a surname please

Hi

I have looked at your updated website and think you have done a grand job, it has certainly grown with lots of pictures and information since I last visited the site.

Please could I ask you to make one little correction to your list of Pit owners and that is to my Great Great Grandfather's surname (owner of the Peacock Mine) - it should be Joseph Belfield Shorthose not Shorthouse!

The Shorthoses lived at 4 Church Street just round the corner from Vicarage Avenue the site of the Peacock mine. The family home still stands to this day but has been re-numbered (now 138) and is the Working Man's Club called "The Woodside Club" I believe.

Unfortunately we have had to get used to seeing his surname spelt wrongly and it is actually erroneously listed as Shorthouse in the official document listing the Colliery owners which always bugs me! So perhaps you will be able to make this amendment to your website quite easily? I also have an original family copy of the photograph that you show.

I have been told that the Peacock mine was also known as Careful Colliery due to not many accidents taking place - is this true?

Many thanks indeed and kind regards.

Christina Sharpe (nee Shorthose)


From:
Sent:
Subject:
Alan Smith
23 December 2011
Joseph Belfield Shorthose - Peacock Colliery, Ilkeston - Timber Coal Merchant or Mine owner?

Hello and a Merry Christmas

Looking at your details for Peacock Colliery, Ilkeston, known as the "Careful Colliery" and the owner's detailsJoseph Belfield Shorthose,I have found onevery census it seems he describes himself as aTimber Coal Merchant. His father was a carpenter/ wheelwright

I can see no details of him being in reduced circumstances because of his supposed bankruptcy

There is a note underneath from one of his descendants saying his name is not Shorthouse and you have corrected it.

Anyway it came as a great surprise that my G G Grandfather Isaac Smith was killed sinking the shaft, so not so careful after all !

One look at the photograph of the ladder on its way up to the top of the headstocks seem to qualify my fears that Peacock colliery was not safer or less safe than any other colliery at the time.

My ancestor was 56 when he died. I have sent for his death certificate and it says he was "accidentally killed by a box filled with slack falling on his head " This could well have fell from a tub being lifted up the shaft or perhaps they were just lifting boxes of slack up. The inquest was held on 12 April 1875.

As a miner myself I have been there at many fatal underground accidents and fatalities and in the days when my G.G.Grandad died in 1875 there was many, many fatalities throughout the industry.

The lady says that Joseph Belfield Shorthose was one of the owners , how would I found out who else owned it

I suspect he might have been a very small part of the management/owners team

Keep up your fantastic work on you site

Thanks

Alan Smith

Former Ilkeston now Mansfield resident

Mining Accidents - Isaac Smith (Information from Ian Winstanley's Coalmining History Resource Centre)

Name: SMITH Isaac
Age: 58
Date: 08 April 1875
Occupation: Sinker
Colliery: Peacock, Cotmanhay, Ilkeston, Derbyshire
Owner: Shorthouse and Gregory
Town: Ilkeston
County: Derby
Notes: Loaded sinking tub fell down the shaft.


From:
Sent:
Subject:
Tony Douglass
22 March 2011
Pentrich, The Missing Colliery

Hello Fionn
My name is Tony Douglass, I am holidaying in Australia from South Africa.

I must admit to a very faulty memory of events and can only go by what I remember from my dad's reminiscences;I say "missing colliery" as I can find no reference to Pentrich Colliery which I believe was also owned by Major Barber together with a mine in Eastwood, and Clifton Colliery around 1939. At this time my father William Douglass was transferred to Clifton from Pentrich Colliery as Assistant Electrical Engineer soon to be promoted to Chief Electrical Engineer until he retired around 1968. He sadly passed away two months after his 100th. Birthday in 1998.

Clifton Colliery on the death of Major Barber around 1943/4, was one of the first to be Nationalised in the East Midlands Area and kept the Power Station next door supplied with coal for many years. The last time I saw the site was in 1978 when I returned from South Africa on holiday, it was a Pork Farms abattoir and pig farm, no trace of the mine or power station was visible.

I do hope these foggy details from a 73 year old brain (mine) can assist you in some way. I do have some old papers back in South Africa that MAYBE contain some more info.

Regards Tony Douglass


Hi Tony, from what I can find out Pentrich Colliery, was in the village of Pentrich, near Ripley, employing the men of the village from 1750. In 1923 the Pentrich Colliery Co. Ltd. Registered Office was at Pentrich, Derbyshire, R.T. Cook was a director but by 1933 he was chairman and the Registered Office had moved to Ripley, Derbyshire. In 1940 he was still Chairman and the Registered Office was still at Ripley. The Colliery closed in 1946 when the rest of the industry was nationalised.

Pentrich was a comparatively safe colliery and one where innovation took place - a pumping engine from Pentrich Colliery was formerly on display at the Science Museum in London.


Pentrich Winding Engine House About May 2008

Pentrich was one of the earliest pits to stop the use of pit ponie. The Colliery produced coal for gas, households and manufacturing industries.


Pinxton No.1 pit, near to the Old Pinxton Wharf area, to the rear of the Boat Inn, was sunk around 1806 when a shaft was sunk to the Deep Hard seam.

Piper, Low Main, Kilburn Rutland - No.2,3 & 4
Plumptree, Eastwood. Originally owned by The Butterley Co., Alfreton
Pollington, Alfreton. Originally owned by J. Oakes and Co., Riddings, Alfreton
Portland, "Nos. 1, 2, & 4" Kirkby. Originally owned by The Butterley Co., Alfreton
Pye Hill, "Nos. 1 & 2" Alfreton. Originally owned by J. Oakes and Co., Riddings, Alfreton
Name of Colliery Where Situated Who Owned

164. Railway

Alfreton

Butterley Iron and Coal Co.

165. Renishaw

Eckington

Cornelius Black and Co.

166. Reservoir

Chesterfield

Gregory and Sharratt.

167. Ripley 7 Nos.1 and 2

Alfreton

Butterley Iron and Coal Co.

168. Ripley Road

Heage

Robert Hunt.

169. Riber

Brampton

Wm. Nicholls.

170. Rutland Nos.1, 2 and 3

Ilkeston

Rutland Coal Co.

171. Ryefield No.1

Dronfleld

Bourne and Son.

Ramcroft Colliery (Ramcroft Colliery Co Ltd), Heath, Derbyshire

Twin Oaks, formerly named Ramcroft comprising of six cottages which housed the families of miners, and two `villas’ for the pit under-managers. The mine itself was known as Ramcroft Colliery.

From an original lease of 1882 between William Arkwright and the Directors of the Staveley Company, five thousand acres of coal reserves were leased for a period of sixty-three years.

The Staveley Company opened Markham Number One colliery in 1885, and Markham Number two in 1886 as well as numerous other pits and a succession of colliery housing projects followed in order to secure workers for the mines.

Colliery houses at Duckmanton, Hartington, Arkwright, Warsop Vale, Barrow Hill, Staveley, Speedwell and Poolsbrook were built, and many still stand today.

Later, under the skilful guidance of Charles Paxton Markham, owner and founder of the Staveley Company, the coal reserves at Ramcroft Colliery were exploited to support the war effort in 1914.

Shafts of 152 yards depth were sunk to the Top Hard seam and coal extracted with increasing momentum, which led to the development of railway sidings and branch lines from the newly opened Markham Colliery a mile away to the north-east .

In 1932 Ramcroft  was pumped dry having been flooded and re - opened after 16 years.




Rufford Colliery

Rufford

Photo (right) Rufford Colliery (Nottinghamshire Coalfield) From flickr.com

Rufford Coliery (Photos)

Left - These temporary wooden headstocks were erected during the sinking of Rufford Colliery between 1911 and 1913.

Right - During modernisation in 1950's.

In 1911 two shafts were sunk by The Bolsover Colliery Company Ltd, bringing Rufford Colliery into being, as the Pit expanded so did the Village of Rainworth. The land for the colliery was leased from Lord Savile, the Top hard and other coal seams were under a portion of the Rufford Abbey Estate, from which the colliery took it`s name.Coal was reached in October 1913, at a depth of 554 yards. On February 7th 1913 there was a terrible disaster at Rufford Colliery, thought to be caused by overwinding. A 5 ton steel water barrel being hauled up the shaftbroke loose and hurtled down the shaft to where 18 men were working on a platform. It smashed into them killing 13, one died later, and injuring others who escaped by hanging on to debris floating in the icy water at the bottom of the shaft. During the 1950's modernisation saw the introduction of Koepe winders being built and the sinking of a 3rd shaft for coal winding. After over 80 years of service Rufford Colliery closed in 1993

Rufford Colliery Disaster, Mansfield 7th February 1913


Rutland Collieries - There were four (nos. 1-4) in the Ilkeston area as far as I know, all owned by the Duke of Rutland (Manners family). These were fairly early "deep" pits

Name of Colliery

Where Situated

Who Owned

172. Salterwood

Denby

George Dawes.

173. Salterwood

Denby

Executors of W. D. Lowe.

174. Salterwood New

Denby

Salterwood Colliery Co.

175. Seymour

Staveley

Staveley Coal and Iron Co. Limited.

176. Shirland

Alfreton

Benton and Woodiwiss.

177. Shady

Alfreton

Seeley Charles and Co.

178. Sheepbridge

Sheepbridge

Sheepbridge Coal and Iron Co. Limited.

179. Shale Cross

New Mills

L and E. Hall.

180. Shallcross

Buxton

Buxton Lime Co.

181. Sicklebrook Lane

Dronfield

Rhodes Brothers.

182. Silkstone

Chesterfield

J. H. Andrew aud Co.

183. Silkstone

Chesterfield

Chesterfield and Boythorpe Colliery Co.

184. Silkstone

Chesterfield

Messrs. Barnes.

185. Silkstone

Belper

W. C. Cursham.

186. Silkstone

Clay Cross

Thomas Houldsworth.

187. Simmondsley

Glossop

Jowitt and Clayton.

188. Silkstone Main

Dronfield

Andrews Brothers.

189. Sleights Nos.1 and 2

Pinxton

Coke and Co.

190. Snowdon Lane

Dronfield

C. Swift.

191. Snowdon Lane

Eckington

Swift and Allen.

192. Southgate

Clowne

Shire Oaks Colliery Co. Limited.

193. Speedwell

Staveley

Staveley Coal and Iron Co.

194. Springwell

Chesterfield

Staveley Coal and Iron Co.

195. Stanhope

Swadlincote

Maples and Co.

196. Stanhope

Swadlincote

J. and N. Nadin.

197. Stanley

Stanley

G. and T. Small.

198. Stanton

Buxton

J. and N. Nadin and Co.

199. Stonyford

Langley Mill

J. Oakes and Co.

200. Storforth Lane

Chesterfield

Dr. Cornelius Black.

201. Stretton

Clay Cross

Sretton Colliery Co.

202. Summerley

Unstone

Jas. Rhodes.

203. St Johns

Staveley

Evans, Wigfield and Co

204. Sutton

Chesterfield

William Arkwright.

205. Swanwick (Deep)

Alfreton

C. R. P. Morewood.

206. Swanwick (Old)

Alfreton

C. R. P. Morewood.

207. Swadlincote. Nos.1,2,3

Alfreton

James Woodward.

208. Swadlincote

Burton

Hall and Boardman.


Selston - New Selston colliery was sunk by James Oakes and Co and coal was transported by a private rail from this pit to Pye Hill which later became Pye Hill No2 at Jacksdale. The entrance to the colliery was opposite Lindley Street in Selston. The pit was known locally as the Bull pit from being close to The Bull and Butcher public house.


Sherwood

Sherwood Colliery between 1902 and 1903 two shafts were sunk at Sherwood by Sherwood Colliery Company. Pits in the concealed seam were large and had great impact on the countryside. By 1934, Sherwood had pit head baths, and in 1983 both winders were electrified. Production had ceased by 1992.

Sherwood, taken from cab of loco in 1986. Steve Burgess


Shipley - In operation 1824 Behind Michael House School Shaft used for emergencies for Woodside.
Shire Oaks, "Nos. 1 & 2" Shire Oaks. Originally owned by Shire Oaks Colliery Co., Worksop
Silverhill, "No. 1" Mansfield. Originally owned by Stanton Iron Co., Teversall, Mansfield
Silverhill, "No. 2" Mansfield. Originally owned by Stanton Iron Co., Teversall, Mansfield
Silverwood Silverwood Colliery, Yorkshire, was situated between the Villages of Thrybergh and Ravenfield.

Stanley Pit, Derbyshire (Nibby) - Opened 1897. Ended deep seam mining in 1959 and closed completely in 1961. Seams worked Piper, Low Main Kilburn. -

A couple of (interesting) observations:

1) The Mapperley wagons would have been there as the same company owned both Mapperley and Stanley pits at this time. I suspect the picture was taken from the upstairs of West Hallam station. Another giveaway is the fact that one of the guard's vans has NE on it, i.e. North Eastern Railway Company which ran on the Great Northern lines seen towards the front of the picture (NE and GN amalgamated (grouping)in the 1920s to form the LNER). Mapperley Colliery itself was served by the Midland Railway (later LMSR), not the GN/LNER. Mapperley wagonscould access the GN via an interchange at Mapperley Junction at the Eastern end of what later became the West Hallam coal screens and just South of Nutbrook Sidings, which were reckoned to be the biggest coal-traffic sidings in Europe at one time. There are still bits to be seen where the opencast didn't quite sweep everything away, and UKC's failure to opencast Shipley West helped to preserve a few remains.

2) The "Shipley Woodside Colliery Oct. 1953" shows the No.2 (downcast) Piper shaft which was sunk to the Kilburn coal by 1899 (about 1550ft deep). Piper coal, and others were worked from here after the Kilburn was worked out in ~1934. My grandad spent all his underground life in the Kilburn; it ruined his health and he had to finish his working life working on the surface, dying prior to retirement. Shipley Kilburn was reckoned to be the best housecoal in the UK, and fuelled the fires at Balmoral. Some of the buildings still remain as the Piper shaft was used for pumping after closure; itremains the most important strategic pumping station in the area, and dewaters mineworkings/controls the water table for miles around (Annesley, Langton, Calverton and beyond to the East, and similar in all other directions).

The actual winding gear continued to be used for pump maintenance, until RJB Mining (now UKC) cut them down for scrap rather than pay the maintenance bill, preferring to use cranes instead. They sold the winding wheels to Bassetlaw District Council for memorial purposes, prior to realising that this had utterly incensed local people just when the company was applying for opencast at Shipley West. They blamed everyone for the scrapping of this supposedly preservedmonument, including the Coal Authority, and Newark and Sherwood District Council (???) who they said had condemned the structure, even though it is in Amber Valley! (yes, UKC has always told lies). I spoke to the boss at the CA who said it was down to UKC and no-one else.

The winding wheels were retrieved in a panic, and now sit on top of the monument built by local people. However, these are not the wheels in the picture, as they were replaced with the smaller ones we now see when the transition to a pumping station was made. The winding house still stands out of shot to the right, and houses all the electrical switchgear, and the now redundant pump winch; you can still see where the remains of the diagonally-rising support legs have been cut-off to this day.

Rgds,

Joe

More Information


Steetly Shire Oaks. Originally owned by Shire Oaks Colliery Co., Worksop

Sutton, "No. 1" Mansfield. Originally owned by Sutton Colliery Co., Mansfield

Sutton Colliery Disaster, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. 21st February 1957 - Ian Winstanley

Sutton, "No. 2" Mansfield. Originally owned by Sutton Colliery Co., Mansfield

Name of Colliery

Where Situated

Who Owned

209. Temple Normanton

Chesterfield

Temple Normanton Colliery Co.

210. Thatchmarsh

Buxton

Buxton Lime Co.

211. Thornsett Hey

New Mills

Thos. Bennett.

212. Tibshelf Nos.1, 2 and 3, 4

Alfreton

Charles Seeley and Co.

213. Tibshelf

Tibshelf

Edward Chambers.

214. Totley Moor

Dronfield

George Chadwick and Co.

215. Tupton

Chesterfield

Chesterfield and Boythorpe Colliery Co.

Teversall, "Nos. 1 & 2" Mansfield. Originally owned by Stanton Iron Co., Teversall, Mansfield

Teversal Closed, 1980, After 111 years - Bob Bradley


Trowell

Trowell Colliery, (1881-1928). A railway line was opened from Nottingham to Trowell in 1875, and the full coal trucks on the left are just leaving the pit. Trowell Field, an earlier Trowell pit was, in 1773, one of the first in the area to use a steam engine for pumping instead of soughs (drainage channels).

Trowell Moor was near Stanton Gate and owned by Dunn Brothers of Trowell, Nottighamshire. In 1896 Enock Prime was the manager and James Kirk the under manager. They employed 275 men underground and 52 on the surface.

-- (Lots More Information) --


Tunnel Alfreton. Originally owned by J. Oakes and Co., Riddings, Alfreton

Turkey Fields - Opened 1848 The 1969 six inch to 1 mile geological map shows two shafts called "Turkey Pits" at grid reference 4990 4240. These are three-quarters of a mile due East of the the former Oakwood Grange Colliery which was once part of the Cossall Colliery complex. The shafts are located just South of "Turkey Farm"; their proximity would suggest an upcast and downcast arrangement, possibly with tandem headgear. Something similar can be seen at Brinsley at the mining monument.

The detail for one of these shafts ( known as "Turkey Field Colliery") is as follows:
Constructed 1848

Datum 330 ft above sea level

Geological sequence:

Down from Lower Middle Coal Measures to Upper Lower Coal Measures, commencing with Fourth Waterloo coal (14 inches) at 79 ft, and passing through numerous other thin seams common to the area before reaching the Deep Soft (42 inches) at 366 ft, and base of the the Deep Hard (46 inches) at 416 ft (shaft bottom). Extraction often commenced on Deep Soft and Deep Hard coals during this period throughout the region.

The amount of ground disturbance around the pit suggests it was more active/long-lived than many of the other small pits scattered around the immediate area.

I have no date for closure, or who sank it.

Joe Henshaw

Name of Colliery

Where Situated

Who Owned

216. Unstone

Unstone

H. Rangeley and Son.

217. Unstone Main

Unstone

Unstone Coal and Coke Co. Limited.

218. Unstone

Unstone

Samuel Saxon.

From:
Sent:
Subject:
Dale Fearn
04 July 2008
Picture of Underwood Pit Before it was Demolished

Hi there
A picture of Underwood pit in Nottinghamshire just before it was demolished in 1984 - 1985.
Thought you would like the picture for your website. Picture was taken by my Dad, Mr Bryan Fearn of Brinsley.

Many Thanks
Dale Fearn

Underwood Pit went back centuries, being taken over in 1728 by Barber Walker & Co when it was probably just an opencast or outcropping site. Barber Walker sank a real vertical mine shaft there in 1831. It was included in the 1842 Children's Employment Commission. The pit at Underwood was 140 yards deep. Workers were let down and up, four at a time by a flat rope. They had no Davy Lamp but fortunately no accidents had been recorded at the pit for two years. At that time Barber and Walker owned 12 shafts employing a total of 101 children under the age of 13.
Underwood Pit eventually amalgamated with three other pits sunk by different mining companies:-
(i) Pye Hill, (ii) Selston/Underwood, and (iii) New Selston where-upon it became known as Pye Hill No 1

Deep mining in the area came to an end in 1985 with the closure of Moorgreen, Pye Hill and Underwood.

Philip's Great Grandfather, John Smith was a Hanger-On at Underwood Pit. He lost his life on Sunday 12th April 1874, aged 22.

Underwood Pit (Memorial)

See also Shane Philips Photo of Underwood Pit

Name of Colliery

Where Situated

Who Owned

219. Waingroves

Alfreton

Butterley Iron and Coal Co.

220. Wallsend

Chesterfield

Tapton Coal Co. Limited

221. Western

Alfreton

Butterley Iron and Coal Co.

222. Wheeldon Mill

Chesterfield

S. M. Lanchester.

223. Whaley

Whaley

Buxton Lime Co.

224. West Hallam Nos.2 and 3

Ilkeston

West Hallam Coal and Iron Co.

225. Westwells

Eckington

J. and G. Wells.

226. White Lane Silkstone

Chesterfield

Richardson and Vardy.

227. Wigwell

Ambergate

Francis Barton.

228. Williamthorpe

Chesterfield

Wingerworth Coal Co.

229. Winkcobank

S. Normanton

South Normanton Colliery Co.

230. Winning Collieries

S. Normanton

Blackwell Colliery Co. Limited.

231. Woodfield

Swadlincote

Marples and Co.

232. Woodside

Shipley

A Mundy.

233. Woodhouse

Dronfield

E. H. Phillips.

234. Woodhouse Lane

Eckington

Samuel Saxon.

235. Waterloo

Whaley Bridge

Buxton Lime Co.

Warsop Main Mansfield. Originally owned by Staveley Coal and Iron Co., Chesterfield


Watnall, Eastwood. Originally owned by Barber, Walker and Co., Eastwood, Nottingham

West Hallam Colliery No1 Rescue Team

West Hallam No.1 - Opened 1889 Closed 1931 Seams, Deep Soft, Hard.
West Hallam Colliery No 1 Rescue Team


West Hallam No.2 - Opened 1889 Closed 1931 Both pits behind Newdigate Pub. Sites used as screens.
Wollaton, "Nos. 1 & 2" Nottingham. Originally owned by Wollaton Colliery Co., Nottingham

Woodside Colliery - Opened 1889 Closed 1966.
Drift at Woodside Colliery

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