"Shonki" Pit

[bigal 3]

Is there anyone out there who has any knowledge of the colliery that was situated where Blenheim Industrial Estate now is?

My grandad used to be engine winder there in the 1920's I believe and although I cant remember ever seeing any buildings, as kids we used to roam around on the land where it was sited picking up pieces of coal and burn them in our 'winter warmers'. Mother used to refer to the pit as Shonki and they had a 'company' house that must have gone with the job - namely Blenheim House which is still on site next to Lime Kilns Total filling station.

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

Is there anyone out there who has any knowledge of the colliery that was situated where Blenheim Industrial Estate now is?

My grandad used to be engine winder there in the 1920's I believe and although I cant remember ever seeing any buildings, as kids we used to roam around on the land where it was sited picking up pieces of coal and burn them in our 'winter warmers'. Mother used to refer to the pit as Shonki and they had a 'company' house that must have gone with the job - namely Blenheim House which is still on site next to Lime Kilns Total filling station.

I'd heard of that pit when I was serving my apprenticeship for Lord Robens in the 60's. There used to be a footpath from very close to the bus terminus at Bullwell that went all the way through to Hucknall number 1 pit, at that time our training centre. If my memory recalls correctly, someone told me it was off that footpath towards the Bullwell end.

The reason I know of the footpath was to save money, just a short walk along it, save half our bus fare, all paid for by my benevolent employer the NCB!

[rob237 89]

Is there anyone out there who has any knowledge of the colliery that was situated where Blenheim Industrial Estate now is?

My grandad used to be engine winder there in the 1920's I believe and although I cant remember ever seeing any buildings, as kids we used to roam around on the land where it was sited picking up pieces of coal and burn them in our 'winter warmers'.  Mother used to refer to the pit as Shonki and they had a 'company' house that must have gone with the job - namely Blenheim House which is still on site next to Lime Kilns Total filling station.

IIRC, the remnants of 'Shonki' pit were adjacent to the footpath which led up to the original Northern Cemetery/Hempshill Vale.

Vaguely remember that some dilapidated headstocks were visible too.......not that far from Sankey's Brickworks.

Do you recall the ancient NCT No 35 single-decker that used to provide the Bulwell Market-Northern Cemetery shuttle service at weekends, during the 50's?.... standing room only on Sundays!

Cheers

Robt P.

[Tutanic 8]

didn't there used to be a pub not far from where the pit used to be called the Shonki, and they then changed it to the Headstocks. Or am I getting two different things mixed up?

A

[rob237 89]

didn't there used to be a pub not far from where the pit used to be called the Shonki, and they then changed it to the Headstocks.  Or am I getting two different things mixed up?

A

Perhaps you are thinking of the pub at the Cinderhill Road/Bagnall Road junction called 'The Headstocks', presumably because the Cinderhill Colliery winding gear was visible nearby......it's original name was something else, and totally eludes me - but it wasn't 'Shonki'.

Shonki pit was nearer to Bulwell proper...possibly slightly north-west of the Bulwell Market area?????

Cheers

Robt P.

[bigal 3]

Done some research on the net and found that "shonky" was the name used by all pits in the coalfield for an additional shaft, sited some distance away from the main colliery, that was used to extract the foul air and also had a cage. In an area like Bulwell and before N.C.B probably the shonki at Blenheim would have serviced galleries running from Cinderhill (aka Babbington) and also Hucknall pits.

Referring to The Headstocks pub on the corner of Bagnall Lane at Cinderhill The pit headstocks were across the road on the land now occupied by Phoenix Business Park. Between the Headstocks and the brick Arched railway bridge (now gone) at the bottom was a plant where the coal was washed and brickettes the shape of eggs were made. This business was known as 'Suncoal'.

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

There was also a Notts coal company family who's pits were nicknamed after them, "Shonkey's or Shonkies"? I don't think this particular one was though, as lots of Leen Valley pits were owned by the same family who sank Huncknall numbers 1&2.

[plantfit 7,580]

Hi John

Could this have been called "The Hempshill Fan" with regard to it removing foul air from the pit? If so there's a nice picture of it in "Nottinghamshire Collieries, on old picture post cards" by Angela Franks.

Also John did you know that Sir Robert Clifton sank the colliery at Clifton to pay off his gambling debts?

Cheers

Roger

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

I knew he was a gambler Roger, he even took a gamble sinking the pit that far south too!

He sunk the pit and worked outwards only to find the area was heavily faulted and he'd sunk the pit in what is known as a "bastard seam" ie, everywhere he went he hit sandstone.

His family had to borrow I believe 6 million pounds from a London Bank to drive the Stone Head Drift and South Main Returns through the Bunta Sandstones to reach the Deep Soft seam. After that all was plain sailing. BTW, the Stone Head drift was 3/4 mile long and ranged between 1:4 and 1:6 from pit bottom to over 2000 feet below the surface. I've walked that many an afternoon shift when the Cable belt was stood!

[plantfit 7,580]

Hi John

Very useful info that, I've worked the "Bunter" sand and gravel seams at Attenborough quarry and now we're working the same seam out here in Lincolnshire, what you threw away as waste material we dig for profit and rubbish coal (lignite) we have to throw away. It's funny how the extractive industries are tied together in some form or another

Roger

[mick2me 3,033]

Is there a seam under Attenborough?

Where is (was) that mined from?

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

The Sherwood Sandstone, which used to be called the Bunter, is found all over Notts into Derby's and Lincs Mick.

No doubt there are coal seams under Attenborough, whether some have been worked I don't know.

Some seams are too close to the Sherwood Sandstone, and as you get to the south west, about the top end of Clifton Estate, the Deep hard seam gets pretty close and is unworkable any further westwards. Pity really, as it gets pretty thick that way! Over 5ft 6ins of recoverable coal.

That was about the farthest limits of Clifton Colliery.

There is a line drawn on the maps I have of exactly where this limit is, same line goes into Cotgraves old bounderies too, they couldn't work any closer.

The sandstone contains water at pressure, some of which is used by Nottingham for it's water supply, the artesian wells.

The water is what caused convergence of 10's and 12's faces at Clifton, in fact we had water so bad on 12's face, it was like working in a rain storm!

The old Beeston Boiler Company had bores down into this sandstone for it's water supply.

The castle and also St Mary's Church on High Pavement are built on the outcrops.

[mick2me 3,033]

Do you think those seams will ever be worked again John?

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

Impossible Mick, you see when a pit closes and pumps are withdrawn, the mine starts filling with water. Eventually the water fills right up to the shaft concrete caps, then over the years the water deterierates the strata. What we call sterilizing the seams.

There is a website, I think it's part of the coal authorities, that show the water tables of Nottingham in association with the closed collieries. Clifton and Cotgrave are linked by water now, probably breached through the old workings, which got as far as around four hundred yards on the deep hard seam.

Of course Radford and Wollaton are common through the water and Gedling is on it's own.

The water from all these pits is now at the water table of the Sherwood Sandstone, which is worrying the authorities!!

Same in the north east around Durham, they now have a contaminated water table due to mine water rising to the table!

I wonder why Maggie's lot never thought about all this when they were getting savage with the industry??

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

I checked on my maps Mick, Clifton did not work any seams beneath Attenborough. I'd say they are too close to the Sherwood sandstone around there.

They did work under parts of Beeston, nearly up to the sewage works in the deep hard seam, don't see any dates though! Probably the late 1800's early 1900's.

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

"BUMP" for Mick

[mick2me 3,033]

Maps you say?

Lets see em, thats what I say?

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

Maps you say?

Lets see em, thats what I say?

You'll have to wait a bit until I get the high speed internet connection, then they will be on my website for all to see.. I'll also put Cotgraves overlay maps up too.

Maybe then, some ex Cotgrave worker will ID each face number..

[plantfit 7,580]

Ayup John,

Can you tell me the name of the last pit pony to come up from Clifton pit when it closed?

Cheers

Roger

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

Ayup John,

Can you tell me the name of the last pit pony to come up from Clifton pit when it closed?

Cheers

Roger

Shoot! I couldn't even name any of them now Roger, I never worked with them as an apprentice. There was one that was blind in one eye though. I don't think we had more than six while I was there.

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

This is a tale I related on my website.

We were having trouble with the AFC, (armoured face conveyor), there were several pans that had holes in them causing fines to go back on the bottom chain and jamming it up, thus blowing the fusible plugs in the couplings.

I was sent to the tailgate with a pocket full of fusible plugs to fill the couplings and replace the plugs.

I was sat down when the supply lads arrived having me snap. Not too long, one of the supply lads came up to me and asked me if I'd seen his 'oss, no I replied, he was over there a few minutes back.

Anyway, the supply lad went down the gate looking for the pony to no avail, he'd gone!

The tail gate was pretty low in places and there were three air doors at the top to divert air.

Turned out, that pony had made his way down the gate to the doors, about a mile in total darkness! Waited at the doors for someone to come through, waited at each door for the same and then made his way down 2's main road, another mile in total blackness, past the inbye bunker, down 1's road, a mile and a half or more in darkness, then down 42's road to the Stonehead Drift, where he'd walked up hill for three quarters of a mile, this road was well lit. He was found waiting outside the air doors to number 2 pit bottom where his stable was!

Not a bad feat without getting injured!

[plantfit 7,580]

Ayup John,

I have to admit I didn't have a clue either, but I can remember him coming up from the pit, It wasn't until FORESTERS lent me a book called "Nottingham since 1900" that I found out, his name was, "SNIPE" and I think they turned him out in a field across the river from the pit in Wilford

Roger

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

Every year at pit shutdown, two weeks holidays. The ponies were brought to surface and they were turned out in that field Roger.

In all the time I was at Clifton, I NEVER!! went into the stables! Yet I passed them everyday on my way inbye. They were next to the number 2 pit bottom.

[.... 23]

Nice stories about the pit ponies.

My grandfather who died before I was born was a hostler at one of the Hucknall pits. He passed on tales of how well the ponies were regarded and looked after by the lads down the pit and how they were brought up to the surface once a year with their blinkers on. Seems the pitmen were very affectionate towards the ponies.

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

Nice stories about the pit ponies.

My grandfather who died before I was born was a hostler at one of the Hucknall pits. He passed on tales of how well the ponies were regarded and looked after by the lads down the pit and how they were brought up to the surface once a year with their blinkers on. Seems the pitmen were very affectionate towards the ponies.

The Hostler at Clifton was very protective of the ponies in his care. God help a haulage lad who didn't look after a pony when he was out with him for the day.