Does Anyone Know Which Pit It Is?
(Thanks to Charlie Snarski for the Photo)

Hi Fionn
I've always had trouble with this picture (Above):
1 - There seems to be no record of a pit at Little Hallam.
2 - The headstock seems such a lightweight - there's only one wheel - so it's a relatively small hole.
3 - There's nowhere to store produce. The photo was taken from the railway line, so there's no room for a siding for loading trucks; a mine with these feature wouldn't have been cost-effective.

I think I've found the answer - it's not a coal mine, it's a water mine.

The reservoir and pumping station were opened in 1872. In 1884 it ran out of water when the Shipley reservoir leaked due to subsidence. They opened up two of the abandoned shafts of the Kirk Hallam mine (about 200 metres away over the railway, brook and canal) and extracted quality water. The Borough Engineer's record reads:

'In 1893-5 the writer with Mr. Ashworth, mining engineer, and Mr. Fletcher, F.R.G.S., examined the district for many miles on the west side of the borough with the ultimate result of recommending the putting down of a borehole at Little Hallam. The boring was commenced February, 1896. The first portion was "jumped", and the lower portions cut through with the "diamond drill". . . . Water was struck at 837 feet, and rose in a tube 14 feet above the surface. The quantity overflowing at the surface was 180 gallons per hour.

The boring was continued down to 1802 feet, but as far as could be ascertained no additional supply was struck. A shaft well was sunk and bricked to a depth of 125 yards. During the sinking the borehole tubes were removed, and at a depth of 53 yards salt water was met with; upon replacing the tubes the water issued at a higher level free from salt, perfectly bright, clear, and palatable. The source of the salt water was not ascertained. It is a coincidence that it was found practically at sea level.  . . . The sinking of the shaft by direct labour to 125 yards proved a difficult undertaking, the strata passed through was full of water, which was pumped by two of "Evans" sinking pumps with sliding suctions; these were hung in slings, and lowered as the work proceeded.

. . . One fitter sent down to do some repairs refused to work under 52. per hour. The shaft was 10 feet in diameter, brick-lined in cement mortar with oak curbs. It would have been much more convenient if this had been 12 feet, and the shaft sunk clear of the bore-hole.'

I think the headstock was the means of extracting spoil and supplying bricks and pumps to the shaft. As the Kirk Hallam/Little Hallam supplies were replaced in 1904 and the pumping station is clearly in steam, the picture can be dated to between 1896 and 1904.

I walked the site this afternoon and all that's left are a few bricks.

Fortunately, no sign of the shaft.
Best wishes

PS. I have attached a list of the mines in the Ilkeston Area

(These are in tables merged into the page 'Pits in The East Midalnds')

I was in NCB East Midlands/North Midlands marketing from 1957 to 1965 and closely associated with it for a dozen years after that. As a memory test I wrote down all the Notts/Derbys pits I could remember that were open during my time and the NCB area offices controlling them, see the list below.

I hope it helps to make your list more comprehensive.

Regards

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