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Calendar
The Decline Of The Industry Continued
After Nationalisation 1947

Book 6
Chimneys
1992
1992 Pages   1     2     3     4     5     6     7     8     9     10  

1992 - Page 2


Sherwood Closed After 90 Years

- Continued -

Panel Nos; Blackshale, BS 302s, BS 303s, BS 304s, BS 307s.

The layout of the seam was dictated by a subsidence sensitive zone.

Residential, industrial and commercial development had increased substantially since the 1960s.

Mining was only permitted in the zone if subsidence damage was reduced to a minimum.

Protection was required for Pleasley village, Hollins Mill pillar and Nottinghamshire /Central Group boundary.

Two further factors included the colliery shaft pillar protecting the shafts and surface buildings and the extreme steep gradients associated with the Mansfield anticline that runs approximately North West South West across the Southern side of the take. Generally free of swilleys apart from one encountered on BS304s panel.

LofthouseFollowing the inrush at Lofthouse Colliery in Yorkshire in 1973 where a panel undermined an old shaft that had an old borehole drilled below it, that collapsed allowing millions of gallons of water and sludge from old workings above engulfing the working panel and entombing 7 miners, whose bodies were never recovered.

The borehole was not shown on any plan but a description was found in an old notebook later when a Surveyor was assigned to examine all plans, notebooks and other records. It was decided that following this disaster that it would be advisable to examine each colliery take for information and check it against geological records kept at the Institute of Geological Sciences (IGS) at Leeds. These plans and information were later moved to the new offices at Keyworth.

The examinations at each colliery were carried out in great depth by Area Geologists and Senior Surveyors, sometimes accompanied by the Surveyor for the mine and a member of the Exploration team and took many hours of diligent checking. Of course all mines in the UK were to be checked and had to be organised in turn by a staff member at IGS in the case of Sherwood Colliery the following 6 inch to 1 mile Ordnance Survey sheets were examined in great detail on 7/2/1980, SK 56 SW, 55 NW and 55 NE by RE (Dick) Elliott, Regional Geologist, Stan Brunskill, Geologist Records and WE Brian Barlow, Senior Surveyor and SK 46 SE, 55 NW and 56 SW and on 15 & 16 /6/1982  sheets SK 55 NW, 56 SW and 56 SE on 20/3/1984 to cover any proposed working in any seam in those areas for the next 5 years.  The personnel on this occasion for the examination were Dougie Raisbeck, Area Geologist, Gordon Ison, Senior Surveyor, Alf Evans, Exploration Engineer and Dave Inkley, Assistant Geologist. Charles J Whyte, Area Surveyor & Minerals Manager signed the document to be attached to the 5 year layout plan for the colliery. The exercise took several years to complete for all collieries, priority being given to mainly shallower mines or where several seams had been worked in the past Century. (Note I attended and examined plans in my capacity as Ollerton Surveyor for the mine at Leeds and later as Senior Surveyor 1987-1989 for other collieries at Keyworth.)

Pithead baths were opened in 1934.

An aerial ropeway transported dirt over Debdale Lane in 1954. This was converted to a conveyor later, at one time being demolished by a high-sided truck. Dirt had to be transported from the coal preparation plant by dump truck until repairs were completed.

The original coal prep plant had been commissioned in 1933 and a new flocculation plant installed in 1957, new Baum was box in 1964, dry fines blending scheme in 1968.

Methane drainage was practiced.

In 1946 output was 409,936 tons with a manpower of 1,439.

A new Medical centre was built next to the Swimming baths and the colliery Canteen in the 1970s.

No1 winder existing steam engine was replaced with a new electric GEC motor with rationalised Thyristor DC ‘C’ size drive system, Holset coupling and static compensator and using the existing winder PD mechanicals (existing automated skip plant with automatic winding).

No2 winder, existing steam engine was replaced with a new GEC electric motor with rationalised Thyristor DC ‘B’ size drive system, Holset coupling and a new parallel drum and shaft. (Existing decking plant and manual winding). This was the last of the North Nottinghamshire pits to convert to electric winding from steam winding in 1982 and 1983, thus allowing the boilers to be dispensed with and the tall chimney to be demolished. A new modern boiler house was built to supply hot water for the baths and heating for offices etc.

A pit record was achieved in Aug 1988 when an advancing face cut 148 shears or more than 5 miles and produced 27,461 tonnes.

The colliery newspaper introduced in May 1989 was called the ‘Sherwood Standard’.

The first 1 million tonnes in a year was achieved in 1990. The Coke family of Pinxton Colliery Co once owned Debdale Hall, which was purchased by the Sherwood Colliery Co and is now a Nursing Home.

Sherwood colliery was never a naked light pit and miners were issued with hand held safety lamps. However as at all other pits in those days no pit helmets or other safety equipment was issued, and the men and boys usually wore flat caps, hard-wearing trousers (moleskin, with a tie under the knees to ease the weight), waistcoat, coat and boots.

With legislation coming in, as at all pits, hard helmets (compressed cardboard at first, then hard plastic) were compulsory, and battery cap lamps were issued. Free issue orange overalls and other safety equipment were issued later as at all pits.

The roadway shown is unsupported being driven in solid rock. The cross beams were for fixing the signal wires for the manrider. 2 drifts to Dunsil from Top Hard were driven 1944.

In 1975 a new ventilation 750hp Aerex radial flow 98” (2.5m) dia double inlet fan at 10” (0.25m) water gauge giving 260,000 cu ft of air per minute was installed.

A fan drift had been constructed in 1955. Methane drainage was operational underground.

The original coal preparation plant was built in 1933.

In 1957 a flocculation plant was introduced.

Dirt disposal system changed in 1959. The tip was developed earlier using the overhead bucket tipping system.

A new Baum wash box built in 1964.
A dry fines and blending scheme capable of dealing with 300 tons per hour was operational in 1968.

A 400 tons bunker at No1 pit bottom and skips at No1 shaft completed by Sep 1967. Also there was a 100 tons Hanmade moving bed type bunker in the Deep Hard.

A booster fan was installed at Top Hard horizon in 1976.

In 1978 there was a reorganisation for a new road at Top Hard horizon for Deep Soft coal. All 3 working seams were linked together by driving 2 cross measures drivages at 1in5, one 1,200 yards (1,100m) and the other 600 yards (550m) long. Old workings were found during the drivage.

A new high speed rope hauled manrider was installed, a scary ride the first time. Malcolm Roebuck, Safety Officer had a shelter constructed with a door at the manriding station where men could wait for rides, being out of the air flow and the noise. The walls and top were constructed with lengths of timber and insulation blocks and finally covered with hardstem.

Two 5 feet (1.5m) dia boreholes were drilled to supply air to the lower horizons, by the Area borers, the first 210m from Top Hard pit bottom to Deep Hard and the second 1.5m dia some 94m deep from Deep Hard horizon to the Yard seam workings.

During 1988 two more at 1.5m dia were drilled by AMCO, both 180m from Top Hard to Deep Hard.

In Apr 1987 a Dosco giant in-seam miner with 70 cutter picks in the in-seam chains and 50 cutter picks in the side auger heads and battery driven so it was a free-steered vehicle (only 2 in the world) was introduced and designed to cut 18 feet x 10 feet (5.5m x 3.05m) section.

The headings were driven under a highly sensitive area for subsidence and were successful. Turning the giant machine from one heading to the next involved curves that were set out and constantly monitored by the survey team, as the bearing had to be changed constanty on all shifts in able to get the machine in position to drive the roadways parallel to one another.

The colliery tip has been landscaped, soiled, grassed and trees set and stoned pathways for walkers have created a once dismal dirty waste-heap into a very pleasant area. The tip eventually would be sold to the County Council for a peppercorn fee of £1. New building on the old pit top area was in hand and some of the old terrace housing had been demolished and a lovely new housing estate built. Now you would not know where the pit top was.

Further building continued in 2013 / 2014 on the site of what was a small waste tip situated between the pit and Debdale Lane. An access road was made but very close to the railway bridge, not an ideal place in my opinion. In the early 1920s the Sherwood Colliery Co built 18 houses for officials on Sherwood Rise, near to the end of the road to Debdale Lane. These were substantial and still look well into the 21st Century.

A new road junction with traffic lights was built adjacent in 2012 to give access to a new estate covering what was the colliery pit top, that was accessible also from the main Woodhouse Road.

 

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