1996 - Page 2

Old Shafts Found

Arkwright opencast site (North Derbyshire), Pat O’Brien, was Managing Director. Several old shafts were found.
A point of interest a rare timber shaft was found at Prior’s Close North opencast site, Great Lumley, Co Durham. Side planks nailed into place with 6” (0.15m) wide wooden rims equivalent to cartwheels recessed into the shaft walls every 4 feet (1.2m).

Record Outputs Despite Bad Conditions

Annesley Bentinck (South Nottinghamshire) produced a record 26,420 tonnes from a Blackshale face in one week during March. However the conditions were sometimes severe with much side crush, gate distortion and floor heave as shown in the photograph. This was 96s Return gate.

The administrators were called in to bail out the colliery but by June 1996, the colliery had been taken over by Midland Mining, following the collapse of the parent company Coal Investments, owing £30m.

The company had been set up by Malcolm Edwards, an ex-British Coal Director of Marketing. Jim Sorbie (11215) (an ex-Manager of Point of Ayr) was Managing Director for Midland Mining. Gilbert Wilson (10111?) succeeded Eric Blackwell (10164) as Manager. They paid £17.5m for Annesley Bentinck in Nottinghamshire and another mine Silverdale in Staffordshire. The new company had secured a 5 year contract with PowerGen and 500 jobs were secured.

Bestwood Winding House

Bestwood winding house adjacent to Bestwood Park (South Nottinghamshire) open to the public following restoration work. The pit closed in 1967. Bestwood Park adjacent on the site of the old tip is popular with visitors.

Caphouse Mining Museum

Caphouse Mining Museum near Wakefield received £525,000 cash, £225,000 from National Heritage Arts Sponsorship and £300,000 from RJB Mining of Nottinghamshire. The picture shows how it used to be. There was another Mining Museum at Snibston in Leicestershire, Big Pit in South Wales and Lady Victoria in Scotland.

Rescue Service

Dr Barrie Jones appointed Chief Operating Officer of Mines Rescue Service (previously Manager at Ashington and Easington). Head of the Service was Albert Wheeler (7349) ex Deputy Chairman of British Coal. The service received 13p per tonne of coal mined.

New Headgear At Harworth No2 Shaft

In August 1996 at Harworth (North Nottinghamshire), the No2 headgear weighing 1,527 tonnes was disconnected and pulled out from beneath the new 45m high tower, which housed the 400 tonnes winding engine that had been built above the existing conventional headgear, similar to the other shaft in 1988. The new engine was installed in order to wind to the new pit bottom at the deeper horizon, at the Deep Soft seam level, some 50m below the old pit bottom. This shaft was used for manriding and materials. The cost of the scheme amounted to £7m. Again the concrete headgear had to be painted blue and yellow to fulfill Town and Country Planning conditions. However it is dwarfed by the coal shaft structure, as seen.

Rossington

At neighbouring Rossington (South Yorkshire) a panel in the combined 3m thick Barnsley / Dunsil seam was retreating 55m per week on a 2,200m panel run. Deputy Manager Derek Main (11650).

Production Re-Started At Asfordby

In September 1996, production restarted at Asfordby (North West Leicestershire), but this time from a short wall retreat face about 60m long. Due to adverse conditions using the longer faces, the strategy of the mine had been re-planned. John Battle (Lab) MP for Leeds had made a visit to the mine in August.

Proposed New Mine In The Vale Of Witham

It was announced in September 1996 that a new mine was proposed in the Vale of Witham, which lies between Newark and Lincoln. Many boreholes were drilled to prove the seams in the 1970s and 1980s. The miners at Welbeck could be the first to transfer to the new mine. It was thought that Welbeck could close in 2003 and the remaining reserves transferred to Thoresby (Nottinghamshire). However a new mine would have to be granted planning permission for surface and underground works and also would be subjected to an intensive public inquiry. It could take several years before a proposed start could be made on surface preparations, before sinking could commence. Around a further 10 years could elapse before coal production would start, even if permission were granted for such a mine. The land is fairly flat and low lying and I would imagine that there could be a problem with subsidence particularly with water backing up as there are many dykes in that area eventually draining into rivers. A John Wardle (9360) ex Production Manager was in charge of the project. At the time I doubted that such a proposal could even be feasible as deep mining was being phased out, not phased in.

Woody Woodpecker

At Welbeck (Nottinghamshire) a 1 tonne impact hammer dinter, nicknamed ‘Woody Woodpecker’ had completed 820m of heading in the Parkgate seam.

 Records Broken At Bilsthorpe

Also in September 1996, the miners at Bilsthorpe (Nottinghamshire) produced their fastest one million tonnes ever, in 200 days, and culminated with a weekly output record of 60,000 tonnes. A record 39,578m (about 24 miles) was cut in the week in the Parkgate seam equating to 157 strips on the 252m long 47s retreat face.

Sherwood Energy Village

Owners of the former Ollerton colliery site, (North Nottinghamshire), British Coal handed over the deeds in November 1996 to Sherwood Energy Village Trust, a community company set up to manage the project. People in the Dukeries area were to be offered shares in the scheme.

The positions of the 2 abandoned and filled shafts are in the circle.

Extending Ladder

At Calverton (South Nottinghamshire) a new style extending ladder with alternate side steps off a single pole used for extensometers every 200m.

Water Dams

At Asfordby water dams were built in November 1996 to withstand a pressure of 4.1 M/mm.

Short Strike at Annesley

From 18th-20th December 1996, the men at Annesley Bentinck (South Nottinghamshire) (Midland Mining) were on strike over conditions and bonus payments.

HM Inspectorate

Paddy Tipping (Lab MP for Sherwood) stated that the Mines Inspectorate had lost 18 of its 60 staff since April 1993 and there were now only 22 Inspectors to cover the whole country.

Opencast Sites

• Rainge various seams 30/9/1996
• Newman Spinney 18/11/1996.

Annual Output Figures For RJB

Annual output figures for RJB Mining 1996

• Asfordby 399,000 tonnes, 581 men
• Bilsthorpe 1,621,000 tonnes 386 men
• Calverton 531,750 tonnes, 320 men
• Clipstone 487,940 tonnes, 304 men
• Harworth 1,144,900 tonnes, 761 men
• Thoresby 1,902,000 tonnes, 702 men
• Welbeck 1,880,000 tonnes, 659 men.
• In the Selby coalfield Stillingfleet combination produced 4,288,699 tonnes with 1,411 men.