BulwellBrian

I hated cross country, absolutly hated it, I was no good at sports, the only thing I played for the school was in the Junior Chess team. I did lower and change the order of the flags on the post one sports day. Proberbly 1958 or 1959. The photo of the "Marble Arch" is a great reminder. I went through it each way on route to school. Brian.

Col, When we worked at the lab there was a road at a higher level to the lab road behind the car park, there were houses on the oposite side to the lab, that was "The Cliff". The lab was never the cliff, I see from the Google Maps that the whole area ha been redeveloped. The large old house was owned by the NCB and used from time to time as offices. The Lab was where the new houses are. Traditionally coal was loaded into railway wagons at the pit. A "Landsale" was where coal was loaded onto lorries and transported by road. There was a Landsale at Babbington also Newcastle

Bestwood was the HQ of No.6 Area East Midlands Division and also of the South Notts Area after reorganization. Edwinstowe was No.3 Area and North Notts. Bolsover No.1 Area and North Derbyshire.

The name Springhead does ring a bell. That was the medical centre.

That building did belong to the NCB but it was not the medical place. It was used as an office in the early 1960's by the people who were setting up the computer system for wages and invoices. The computer centre was built at Mansfield Woodhouse. The laboratory I worked at was behind this building oposite the houses on "The Cliff". We did use a ground floor room in the building as a store room.

John, My memory of the medical place is of a big house set back from the road up a short drive off Cinderhill Road between the two railway bridges on the right coming up from Bulwell. But as you say its a long time ago, it was 1959 when I went there.

Compo, your X-ray would have been taken at the NCB medical centre further down Cinderhill Road towards Bulwell, not ot the pit.

Definatly Babbington Colliery. The two shafts on the right laterly worked as tandem upcasts are the original shafts of 1842, The larger headgear was the coal winding downcast No.4 shaft. The original main road to Nuthall etc is close to the wall with the VW van. The new road with the NCT bus was built after I left Nottingham and I am not sure where it goes, the area has changed alot since then. The bridge was used by the internal railway to Newcastle Wharf.

Coal to Garston Dock was House Coal for Northern Ireland and the Republic. The coal looks smaller ie Singles (1"x1/2") or Washed Smalls (1/2"x0) both produced at Gedling. Most of the wagons look to me like 21t hoppers.

It could be from Gedling Colliery, which produced industrial fuel, and could have been heading for Lancashire, it would have to go this way after Mapperley tunnel was closed. I do know that East Midlands coal did go to Lancashire factories in the 1960's.

I don't remember the cars, but one chap who was in and out a lot was Ted Ashby, who went round the collieries checking boiler water quality.

I would have said tallish and thin blond wavy hair and glasses, I did get married in 1966, Before then I lived on Henrietta Street, after the wedding we lived on Southey Street, Hyson Green then back to Bulwell on Banerman Road. after leaving the lab we moved to Newthorpe Common nr Eastwood, finally I became a commuter to Hobart House. I do remember the Facit calculators, both hand wound and electric. I also used them at both Eastwood Hall and Hobart House before electronic calculators and computers.

Col, Re #59, we must have worked together when you were at Cinderhill Lab, but I am sorry to say I don't remember you, it is a long time ago. The people you name are familiar to me, The Area Chief Scientist was Charles Williams, The deputy Brian Hart, The Lab Manager Bill Heath. I remember Roger Street, a big lad, he went to BR at Derby, Charles H V Bramley was in charge of the Gas Lab, Neville Colman was in charge of special investigations, I don't remember Leon Sole but Sheila Wasilevski was I think the first female to work in the general labs rather than just as airborne du

Col, I didn't work at the pit I worked at Cinderhill Laboratory from 1959 to 1969 then moved to the Marketing Department at Eastwood Hall and then in 1974 to the NCB HQ Marketing Department at Hobart House London.

The drift was rather steep for a walk but it could be done. The usual way for the men was via the shaft. I believe Bestwood, Linby and Calverton were all connected at the High Main level but the connections were a way out from the shafts. After Bestwood closed some of Linby output was transported underground and surfaced by the drift for washing at Bestwood coal prep plant. Bestwood and Calverton did connect at the Top Hard level but that connction was lost when the Top Hard was abandoned This was before the drift was sunk.

Col, the original colliery was the two shafts that remained to the end, they were sunk to the Top Hard seam which was the thickest. When the Top Hard workings were a long way from the shafts a ventilation shaft was sunk before the war at Calverton. When output was concentrated on the High Main seam a second shaft was sunk post war at Calverton and it became an independent collery no longer conected to Bestwood. The Lancaster Drift was sunk in the early 1950's to the High Main and became the route of the output to the surface. The drift mouth was in the pit yard not far from the shafts and the

Sorry but I didn't work on the railway, I was just a spotter with a good memory.

67363, a regular on the dido in the 1950's.

I am still around in Hertfordshire, I only stick my oar in when I have something so say. My health is not good so I am somewhat restricted.

Good to here from you Mike. Re #40 Anthony & Andrew Smith I think. I couldn't tell them apart. I can't remember if you and I were acquainted in those days, I also went to High Pavement Brian Wakelin now in Hertfordshire near St. Albans.

The bridge beyond Bestwood Village towards Papplewick was built in the late 1940's early 1950,s to serve the new colliery ot Calverton and connected to both the GN line and the Midland line. It was built as double track but I remember only one being used for trains the other being used to store wagons.

Thanks Plantfit, the Bulwell I knew as a boy.

My memory has dimmed over the years but I think the Bestwood Station building was close by the bridge over the road, the railway was on an embankment so the platforms must have up steps. Thinking as I type this there were two bridges, one carrying the GNR and the other the line from the colliery to the Midland Railway. Did the line to the Midland go under the GNR by a bridge? The station would have closed at the same time as Bulwell Forest Station.

I remember the sweet factory, I believe they made "Mint Imperials" among other things, on Imperial Road, coincidence? It looks to be a good conversion into flats, the bulwell stone walls being repaired and retained, the old cast road names and the old cast hydrant signs also there. A reminder of my childhood having lived on Henrietta Street 1942 to 1966 and Bannerman Road 1968 to 1971.

Cliff those photos were taken on or near the footpath that went from the top of Cantrell Road across the forest to Rigleys works. The footpath started with kiss gates on St Albans road, crossed the northbound rails of the burrowing junction to Bestwood Junction on the level, under the main line bridge then crossed the southbound line from Bestwood Junction on the level. Most of the earlier discussion was of the Great Northern line from Bestwood Junction to Leen Valley Junction as pointed to on the earlier map. The O4 class were a Great Central Railway design built in la