BulwellBrian

I had forgotten the shops on Bulwell side of the northern bridge. I was just thinking of the shops between Piccadilly and Henrietta Street.

Very interesting Chulla, I played cricket a few times for Broomhill Road Methodists. Also the National Provincial Bank and the Westminster Bank merged in 1970 although I do not know when the two Bulwell branches merged. I cannot remember K H Clarke jewelers on Highbury Road I would not have had enough money to shop there.

The coke came out of the ovens red hot and burst into flames when it reached the air. It was transported in a special rail wagon and drenched with water to put out the flames. The tower was called a Quenshing tower.

Iron ore to Stanton? It was better with the O4's before the Midland Region got hold of it. It then went via Maperley tunnel.

Was it "Vote Peck"? A local communist who put up at every election both national and local. He eventually got elected to the council. I believe he was a pilot in the war and was awarded the DFC. I hope my memory is ok it was a long time ago.

We called it the Northern Bridge perhaps because it was next to the Northern Baths. Double Deck buses, both trollies and motors, had to go into the middle of the road to get through the arch.

I understand that Network Rail will build the bridge.

I grew up in Bulwell and never thought of it as a rough place, admittedly 50 years ago, but we had Bulwell Forest (not Bulwell Common, that was just a railway station) and Bulwell Hall Park to play in, Good trollies to Nottingham City Center and Trent Bridge. Shops that sold all we wanted.I was never ashamed of coming from Bulwell.

Cliff Ton's photo at #139 shows a blue Notts & Derby Traction Co. on route A1. I think they ceased running in 1953.

Thanks very much, it all looks right now and my head can stop spinning.

Is it possible to turn the photo around? I cannot do it in my head. It might become clearer.

Both sides the rail. also, Plenty of room on top.

It always seemed to me that Basford RDC included everywhere but Basford which was and is part of Nottingham since at least 1890. I think the HQ of BRDC was Rock House in Basford.

The Colliery Yearbook 1947 gives the former owners of Radford & Wollaton collieries as: Wollaton Collieries Co. Ltd. Registered Office: Grove House, Radford, Nottingham: Directors - W Dawson 29 Arboretum Street, Nottingham (Chairman) & Lieut.-Col. G.A. Lewis CMG, Midland Road Derby. Secretary - C.C. Forrest ACA Agent & Manager W Alun Jones MIME. W A Jones is recorded as the manager of both collieries under the NCB. The workforce is quoted as -Radford 320 underground and 70 surface, Wollaton 160 underground and 60 surface. The approx annual output as Radford 97000 tons Wolla

You may be right Ayup... but Wollaton was sunk before Radford.

Radford & Wollaton collieries were always joined up. Radford only had one shaft, a downcast where the air was drawn into the workings. Wollaton provided the upcast shaft where a large fan sucked the air out to provide the ventilation for both collieries. Wollaton also had a downcast shaft.

One thing I am not sure of about Newcastle Wharf, was it only Babbington coal that was taken to the wharf or was coal from other collieries brought in via rail through Babbington. I am talking about after nationalisation. The wagons to the wharf were a mixture of BR wagons and internal NCB wagons, if I remember right the trains included a guards van with NCB on the sides.

Newcastle Colliery was just off Nuthall Road to the West of Western Boulevard. It was served by the mineral railway that ran east from Babbington Colliery, just after it passed Newcastle Colliery it turned south and is shown on the maps on this thread, #10 and #15. The site of Newcastle Colliery remained in use as a landsale wharf sitll served by the mineral line. Newcastle Wharf and the line closed in the 1960's.

The oldest recorded coal tramway in the world was at Wollaton built in 1603/4 and ran about 2 miles from Strelley to Wollaton. It was built by Huntingdon Beaumont who was a partner of Sir Percival Willoughby. http://www.aditnow.co.uk/mines/Wollaton-Waggonway-Tramway/

Katyjay, are you sure it is in B.C. (British Columbia)? I think it is South Island, New Zealand. Its a great video.

In Bulwell, Broomhill Road, Henrietta Street & the surrounding roads the cobbles were just covered over with tarmac. The gas lights were also replaced by Electric.

I was interested to see the detail of the junction on the mineral line from Babbington colliery via Newcastle colliery. Radford Colliery was closed in the early 1960's. It was linked underground with Wollaton colliery for ventilation.

There is still coal produced at Thoresby colliery, also some opencast coal including from Scotland and imported coal through various ports as well as Immingham such as Avonmouth, Hull, and the Mersey. I am not sure of the countries of origin but I would think they include Russia, Poland, USA, Colombia.

Further to #97. Norman Siddall became Chairman of the NCB. Only one shaft existed at Calverton and it was part of Bestwood colliery and Cotgrave was a pipe dream in1947. Bulwell colliery was closed before nationalisation. Babbington and Cinderhill soon became recognised as one colliery called Babbington. The output of all the working collieries increased substantially under the NCB partially due to mechanisation. At various times Babbington, Bestwood, Calverton, Cotgrave, Gedling, Hucknall, and Linby all produced 1 Million tons in a year.

According to the colliery year book 1947 there were 766,300 men working in mines in 1939 of which 604,200 worked underground. Employment peaked in 1920 at 1,226,900 men. Output of coal in 1939 was 231,337,900 tons. Peak output was in 1913 at 287,430,473 tons. Which included 82,521 tons produced in Ireland. The details for local collieries in the year book are:- Manager men underground surface approx output Bestwood N Siddall 1575 500 853,000 Gedling G P Thompson 1450 450 625,000 L