Hi,
Do you have any information appertaining to Glapwell Colliery, North Derbyshire area?

I was an electrician at this pit from 1964 to 1972 - moving on to Creswell Colliery for 12 years.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated, many thanks!

Trevor Gaunt

Hello,
I was wondering if you, or you might know someone, who might know why part of the Stanley pit head gear was left in place until the late 1980's when this pit closed in 1962? I can remember seeing a party of people just been or about to descend into the mine in the late 1980 's  dressed in N.C.B  orange coveralls, was this used as a training venue for mine rescue teams based in Ilkeston?

If you can help it would answer a question I've had since seeing them at the old pit head, which has now had the last section of head gear removed and I presume had the shaft head capped.

Thank for your help with this, or perhaps you can point me in the right direction for an answer.  I hope to find out a little more of the history of the pits around Stanley, Dale Abbey, West Hallam and Ilkeston along the way. My Father recalls open cast pits around the Cat and Fiddle area and the pits I mentioned above.

Thanks

Mike Coxon

19 July 2011 - Joe Henshaw

I've more or less had this info' confirmed as factually correct by a friend who has always lived near to the site, and can remember the last days of Stanley pit. Yes, Stanley (Nibby) remained as a pumping shaft for many years post closure of the pit. It was nothing like the scale of Woodside, but perhaps dealt with local flooding concerns until some sort of appreciation was made of how minewater issues would resolve after the closure of pits and the cessation of pumping in the area.

The pumps remained active after the pit closed to continue supplementing water flow in the Nutbrook for abstraction at Stanton Ironworks; I would guess that flow was metered at Stanley, and thus Stanton would have to pay for the use of any water abstracted over and above the amount pumped from the shaft, i.e. using existing watercourses as opposed to pipelines.
The discharge was culverted under the road (originally under the now demolished railway bridge near Cock Orchard), flowed through the old ordnance depot (TDG/Midland Storage), into Stanley Brook, then into the Nutbrook near Kirk Hallam.

We tend to think the pumping continued until the late 1970s, and probably ceased after the Stanton blast furnaces stopped production.  I would then think that the pumps were turned-off to establish the efficacy of the Woodside pumps in dealing with rising water levels at Stanley.  Once groundwater levels had settled, the remains of the headgear would have been demolished and the Stanley shaft capped; we are pretty sure that this would have been early 80s at the latest.  This would probably explain the appearance of men in NCB orange, rather than Stanton personnel, who would perhaps be surveying/working in the upper shaft as part of the capping exercise.

There has, however, been a twist in the tail, in that since the Woodside pumping horizon was allowed to rise from 200m to just 70m (following closure of the Annesley Bentinck mine in 2000), there have been occasional water logging and also resultant contamination problems around Stanley and the wider area.  This is due to the fact that the water table is no longer drawn down as far as it once was at Woodside, so there is less dry ground above to absorb rainfall prior to saturation occurring.  Furthermore, monitoring of the level at Woodside is now rudimentary, so pumping problems can allow the minewater level to rise more than once anticipated before problems are fixed.  This inevitably means that untreated minewater can find its way out of a multitude of routes at ground level where these are below the rising water table, and on many miles of surrounding land; there is also even less volume of ground for absorption of rainfall in such a situation.

Rgds,

Hi
Does anybody have any detailed plans or photographs of the old Mapperley coal screens site? (shands?)
My grandad, George Pearson, Training Officer at Moorgreen up until the 1970's, used to take me through there as a kid and I'd be fascinated by the place. I ride through there now on my bike and try to piece the site together. It all seems hidden now under a mass of silver birch trees but some evidence does remain. The rails in the road at the level crossing, kerbstones and building foundations etc.

Any information on this site would be appreciated.

Thanks
James

From:         Joe Henshaw Sent:          12 August 2011 Hi Fionn, I've just seen this enquiry; I remember his grandparents living in Mapperley, particularly Edie, who used to buy odd bits of garden veg' from me along with some of the other village elders.  She always used to be on the lookout to ensure I didn't have my hand on the weighing scales!

You could point James to my response to a related enquiry dating from 24/10/2008 from Jim Steele.

James is correct in that the area in question retains many important industrial archaeological remains in a region that has been all too keen to erase them.  It's getting harder to recognise as nature reclaims the site, but at least it is natural recolonisation, and the ecological and amenity value is increasingly being recognised.

The site has recently been sold to James Woodward of Head House Farm by UK Coal Mining as part of the 160-acre Shipley West package, which comprises roughly 70 acres agricultural fields.  UK Coal retained no opencast mining covenant on any of this land due to the fierce local opposition which defeated its plans in late 2003.  It is unlikely that anyone else will bring forward an opencast plan for the site anytime soon hopefully recognising even the UK's biggest mining company couldn't bully its way in.

Not quite sure what the future will be, but redevelopment (housing etc.) is very unlikely.

The screens were operated by Hargreaves Ltd. of Co. Durham in the latter years on behalf of the NCB/British Coal.  Shand Lehane Mackenzie was the principle opencast contractor for the sites at this time giving the "Shands" reference.

Prior to this the screens were operated by the Ministry of Fuel and Power, then the National Coal Board; they were constructed in 1943 in response for the requirement of coal processing from WWII opencast sites in the area.

Ilkeston reference library used to have detailed OS maps etc. which showed how the site changed over many years.  Photographs seem scarce.

If James has specific questions, I will try to answer them.

Rgds,
Joe.

Hiya
My name is Tracy Nicol, I am trying to find a mine that was in Rishton.

My grandad and my grandma’s brother worked in it, I do not know what it was called and I was wondering if you could help me in some way .
 

Yours Gratefully
Tracy Nicol

In 1839 there was a colliery called Meadowhead. it was owned by Messrs Haworth and Barnes
In 1890 there was a colliery called Rishton, Mountain owned by Peter Wright Pickup
In 1880 there was a colliery called Clifton Moss, Clifton, Manchester, Andrew Knowles and Sons (Limited).
In 1880 there was a colliery called Close Nook, Rishton, Dunkenhalgh Colliery Co. (Limited).

Most likely there were many more.

My husband’s grandfather was an iron ore miner in or around Whitehaven before coming to New Zealand about 1875; they lived in Egremont.  

I wish I knew which mine. His name was John Carrol, his wife was Catherine and they had 3 children before coming to New Zealand.

I like the site very much.

Was very sad to hear of all the shooting in Whitehaven my heart goes out to all.

Margaret Carroll

Good afternoon

My name is Keeley Jopson and I am the Project Assistant working on a new gallery due to open in November 2010. The new gallery will work to tell the story of nearly 240 Victoria Cross and George Cross recipients of which Alfred Wilkinson VC is due to feature.

In retelling Wilkinson's VC story, I would like to include a digital photograph of Bickershaw Colliery around 1940.

I would like to include a digital high resolution copy of this colliery within a digital touch screen interactive which we will be using to tell the story of the medal recipients.

The image, if I am able, will be included for the full 10 years of the galleries opening from November 2010-2020.

I look forward to hearing from you and answering any questions you might have

Your sincerely

Keeley

For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty on 20th October 1918, during the attack on Marou, when four runners in succession having been killed in an endeavour to deliver a message to the supporting company, Private Wilkinson volunteered for the duty. He succeeded in delivering the message, though the journey involved exposure to extremely heavy machine-gun and shell fire for 600 yards. He showed magnificent courage and complete indifference to danger, thinking only of the needs of his company and entirely disregarding any consideration for personal safety. Throughout the remainder of the day Private Wilkinson continued to do splendid work. Alfred Wilkinson was invested with his Victoria Cross by King George V at Buckingham Palace on the 22nd February 1919.

The renewal of hostilities in 1939 saw Wilkinson join the Home Guard and being appointed a Special Constable. At the time he was employed in the surveyor's laboratory as a tester at Bickershaw Colliery, but died as a result of gas poisoning at the colliery on 18th October 1940.

Hello,
I wonder if you could help me.
My name is Alison Hill, and I live in Kilburn. I am currently researching for a novel that I am writing, which is set in Kilburn in 1951.

I wanted one of the characters to work in Kilburn colliery, and have taken reference from your web site for information. I understand Kilburn pit closed for a while and then reopened again?

Could you tell me what dates it closed from/to?

I would be interested in any information you can supply about Kilburn colliery.

Kind regards,
Allie Hill

Snippets:- 1834 it was leased to the firm of T. H. and 0 Smalls

1869 Kilburn Colliery, Ripley owned by Exors of J Ray.

1908 Derby Kilburn Colliery Co., based at Stanley, Derbyshire. Manager W.H. Sankey, undermanager JR Harvey.  Employed 226 above ground and 54 below.

1918  Derby Kilburn Colliery Co Ltd., Nottingham Rd., Derby.  The colliery was at Stanley Kilburn. Manager was H Smith, it employed 100 men below ground and  36 above.  It was Abandoned Jan. 1919.

In 1938 there was a New Horsley Kilburn Colliery Co., 25 Church St., Kilburn but it was a very small concern with 4 men below ground and 2 above.

To Whom it may Concern,

 I was hoping that you might be able to steer me in the direction of gathering more information about Selby Colliery and surrounding mines.

Kind regards

Gemma Whelan

Hi at Stanton by Dale at Stanton works there are two coal mine shafts in the woods next to the M1, I cannot find any information on these even looking back to 1920s O.S. maps. Can you help?

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