Radford Colliery


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Hi,

I have recently started researching my family tree for the Dennis family, who moved to Radford in around 1891. My great granddad George Dennis worked as a miner, I am assuming at Radford Colliery and I would be grateful for any information about this pit and what life was like for mining families living in this area.

Any information at all would be great, so i can try and build a picture of his life.

Best wishes,

Melissa Dennis

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I've not been able to find a great deal out about Radford Colliery either, ironic I worked with ex Radford and Wollaton lads at Clifton and never asked much. Sadly most who worked at Radford will be gone now.

There is a book called "Radford, the Bread and Herring Pit" it used to be on sale at the Councils bookshop, it has just about everything I know about Radford in it.

There is a little information on my Coal, Colliery and Mining site at http://coalmine.prob...play&thread=484

That will take you to the Wollaton and Radford Collieries section.

We had a Colin Dennis at Clifton, had an accident underground and lost a lower portion of a leg and went on to work in the training branch at area HQ after Clifton closed, I wonder if you are some relation to him??

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Now then John, I can remember a Colin Dennis, worked at Clifton and lived on Gardendale avenue, I believe he grew up in the Highbury vale area and quite possibly started work at Radford. I did have a copy of the "Bread and Herring pit" writen by someone who spent his entire working life down that pit, I think in the last sentence of the book he said the best thing about the pit was when they capped it over, I think it was a very damp working environment hence the bread and herring reference

Rog

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My grandfather(Walter Clifton) born Radford Woodhouse in 1887 spent his entire working life at Radford colliery.

After he married my grandmother(Elizabeth Radford born 1887 Radford Woodhouse) lived in Guthrie Stree & Middleton Street.

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Now then John, I can remember a Colin Dennis, worked at Clifton and lived on Gardendale avenue, I believe he grew up in the Highbury vale area and quite possibly started work at Radford. I did have a copy of the "Bread and Herring pit" writen by someone who spent his entire working life down that pit, I think in the last sentence of the book he said the best thing about the pit was when they capped it over, I think it was a very damp working environment hence the bread and herring reference

Rog

I believe it was you who sent me a scanned copy Rog. No the bread and herring part came from being too poor for decent snap, bread and herrings were pretty cheap snap for a working man.

I found reference to bread and herring pit referring to other pits around the country too.

Is Col still around Rog???? Nice feller, I worked on one of the faces he worked on right up until his accident.

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I recall Tommy Shaw when he went up to the hospital for a check up prior to having a hernia operated on, Col hadn't been in hospital more than a week, so Tom decided to go up and see him to see how he was feeling.

Tom related to us all, Col was chasing a nurse down the corridor in his wheelchair!!! He never let anything get him down!! He was back at work after six weeks, albiet doing an office job, never to go underground again.

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I know Les Dennis (not that one) his dad Alec (only passed away yesterday) was in his late 80s. All from Hucknall. Les worked down t'pit but i think it was Hucknall or Linby

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  • 1 year later...

Hi my grandad worked down wollaton pit and radford pit .. His father worked down Clifton pit and radford pit . His father was killed down Clifton pit in 1863 evening post carries a full post Mortem report . Only found this out when I visited the Wakefield library with all the volumes of pit accidents in Great Britain in the last 150 years . My ancestors have worked down pits from trowell , wollaton bilbo rough radford since 1750,s .

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There's a list of Nottingham/Derbyshire colliery accidents on the Healey Mines Rescue site.

I worked as an apprentice at Clifton and worked under a couple of ex Radford/Wollaton electricians after Wollaton closed..

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  • 10 months later...

I think I posted this somewhere else on the forum, but can't remember where (born 1960..."gerrinonabit").

Has anyone got a map of the Radford pit workings superimposed on a map of the area? I've seen them for Wollaton and Clifton pits.

I recall subsidence being felt at our house on Ainsley Estate.

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I posted an answer to your post yesterday here.....http://nottstalgia.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1482&page=4

And your a young bloke at side of me....LOL

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I posted an answer to your post yesterday here.....http://nottstalgia.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1482&page=4

And your a young bloke at side of me....LOL

Just found it and replied, thanks.

Hah! I'm still the little kid of 4 sneaking out of his council house and going to watch steam trains at new bridge. However, I appear to be 54.

r

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