A bit of industrial history

[Cliff Ton 10,458]

This might bring back a few memories to various people for various reasons. In the foreground on the right is the old GC railway bridge over the Trent at Wilford; and in the background is the former Wilford power station.

Forgotten I had it, but taken by me in October 77.

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

This was taken by someone from the top of the power station..

[Gibbo 04 188]

A great evocative shot Cliff Ton.....

[Cliff Ton 10,458]

Ta.

It's surprising how something which was a quick, casual, throwaway photo can seem, 35 years later, evocative and atmospheric.

I even remember what I used to take it. It was a Practika (remember them?) which belonged to where I worked back then, but I often used to "borrow" it, sometimes for very long periods of time.

[mick2me 3,033]

Taken for the sunset, In those days you would not know how important that shot was?

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

Another coal mine we said goodbye to in the 60s/70s. Remember Wilford Power station next door.

[Bubblewrap 3,815]

Nottingham was virtually surrounded by collieries there was Clifton, Radford, Wollaton, Newcastle, Babbington, Calverton, Bestwood, Gedling, Cotgrave & Hucknall. all except Newcastle survived till the 1960s Radford only just closing in 1961.

Newcastle closed around 1928.

[BulwellBrian 107]

You missed out Bulwell Colliery, closed in 1940's

[alisoncc 379]

Anyone remember the Wilford Power Station outfall into the Trent. Used to climb over the railings, down some steel ladders set into the stonework and on to a concrete ledge. The stonework was almost black in colour and would have been 15-20 feet high. It was a good place for fishing, but took some getting down the ladders with fishing tackle. With my brothers, we once caught half a dozen Roach at the outlet, each about 7 in. Took them home and my Dad cooked them for our dinner. Did we feel on top of the world having caught our own dinner. Couldn't have been more than nine at the time.

Couldn't imagine kids of ten being allowed to climb over railings, down 20ft steel ladders to a concrete ledge, carrying their fishing gear nowadays. Elf and sefty would have a fit.

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

Course they would. They're not even allowed to play conkers now!

I wish I could get a photograph of The Wollaton Colliery sidings from the Old Coach Road perspective. I used to sit on the parapet and watch the light engine (usually an 8F) come in with a brake van. The driver and fireman would have their brew, then they would leave the brake van at the top of one of the three sidings which were occupied by coal wagons. Then pick up the entire contents of one sidings, drop onto the brake van, pick that up and shove the lot down the empty sidings. Then the engine would pick up the contents of the other two sidings one by one and then go back and pick up the wagons with the brake van on the rear and shove the lot as far down as possible. Then they would get the signal for Right Away Nottingham Yard at Lenton. these movements were controlled by the signalman in the signal box on the east side of Old Coach Road. All this happened most mornings at around 10am to 11am until Wollaton Pit shut in the mid 1960s.

If you look over the bridge now you would see no sign of either sidings or signal box. The last of the coal mining and movement of coal in the Bilborough/Wollaton area. The nearest pit after that was Babbington Colliery at Cinderhill.

[Beefsteak 305]

Anyone remember the Wilford Power Station outfall into the Trent. Used to climb over the railings, down some steel ladders set into the stonework and on to a concrete ledge. The stonework was almost black in colour and would have been 15-20 feet high. It was a good place for fishing, but took some getting down the ladders with fishing tackle. With my brothers, we once caught half a dozen Roach at the outlet, each about 7 in. Took them home and my Dad cooked them for our dinner. Did we feel on top of the world having caught our own dinner. Couldn't have been more than nine at the time.

Couldn't imagine kids of ten being allowed to climb over railings, down 20ft steel ladders to a concrete ledge, carrying their fishing gear nowadays. Elf and sefty would have a fit.

Surprised your dad let you eat them!!

The only time I've ever tried to eat something I caught from the Trent (Brown Trout) it tasted like the smell from Radcliffe Weir !!

I gave it to the cat, it took one sniff then wouldn't speak to me for a fortnight!

[alisoncc 379]

It was sixty years ago. People used to swim in the Trent back then. I think it got really mucky after that, either that or we were immune to what ever it carried.

Remember a Clifton Brook on the other side, which had a sandy mouth where it met the river and whole families would picnic there, with the kids paddling and older members swimming in the deeper water. This would have been when they were starting to build the very first Clifton Bridge. For some reason I have it in my mind that I had rels living on the Clifton Estate before they built the first bridge. But that wouldn't make sense.

[alisoncc 379]

Just been doing a bit of googling, and it appears that I may have been correct. The original Clifton Estate was "open for business" before the first bridge was built. No wonder people were swimming the river, t'was the only way to get into town. It would have taken hours via Trent Bridge, that's unless there was bus to 'apenny bridge, then walk across the bridge, and a bus t'other side. The brook I referred to was Fareham Brook.

[banjo48 928]

Surprised your dad let you eat them!!

The only time I've ever tried to eat something I caught from the Trent (Brown Trout) it tasted like the smell from Radcliffe Weir !!

I gave it to the cat, it took one sniff then wouldn't speak to me for a fortnight!

My Karate instructor in the late 70's was mr Shiro Asano and he loved fishing, so one day my brother in law and I decided to take him piking in the rowing course, well not much was happening so we moved on to the river trent and as usual got the few gudgeon and dace and a few smallish roach between us.

After a few hours we started to pack up and get ready to empty our keep nets, Asano came running along the bank saying "No throw back " in his broken english and produced a bag to place the fish in !

Couple of days later after our usual Wednesday night training session, he invited several of us back to his flat for drinks and food (he was renowned for this with the senior students) and to refuse was considered an insult !

Anyway we got there and after a few drinks he say " we eat yes" so off he goes to the kitchen and after maybe 10 mins of frantic wok stirring he appears again with a large platter of our now cooked up catch from the Sunday's fishing in the trent !

My BIL and I looked at each other and thought "Oh no" but we had to consume some as said, or he would of been very offended.

Some of the other black belts there could not understand what, we who knew, were sniggering at, as they tore into all these little fish cooked up in ginger garlic soy etc.

We drank a fair bit of sake' that night ! just for medicinal purposes of course :-)

[Cliff Ton 10,458]

Remember a Clifton Brook on the other side, which had a sandy mouth where it met the river and whole families would picnic there, with the kids paddling and older members swimming in the deeper water.

Alison, go to Picture the Past and in the Search box put Fairham. That will bring up quite a few photos of the place I think you are referring to.

[alisoncc 379]

Thanks Cliff Ton, had already checked. These are the railings that I recounted climbing over, then down a steel ladder to a concrete ledge. It's where us Medders kids went fishing. 'Cept we only did it when the river wasn't in flood.

[Cliff Ton 10,458]

Ah...that's not the location I was thinking of. That's nothing to do with Fairham Brook .

Fairham Brook comes out into the Trent at the bottom end of Clifton Estate (as in the PTP photos I mentioned).

[alisoncc 379]

I didn't say it was love. Fareham Brook is shown here:

I had previously written in #9

Anyone remember the Wilford Power Station outfall into the Trent. Used to climb over the railings, down some steel ladders

And these were the railings I mentioned along the side of the Trent

[Cliff Ton 10,458]

That's something I didn't know!

Fairham Brook used to come into the Trent further north than it does now. Your map is obviously pre-Clifton Bridge, and the brook comes out north of Wilford House; but these days it's south of Wilford House (the red cross).

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

Somewhere in one of my backup disks are some photos, someone at Wollaton museum sent me, one is taken about where the fishing spot was outside Wilford power station, this was around 1947. Pre the road being upgraded and the embankment was an embankment. I'll have a look for it later and post it here.

[Beefsteak 305]

Next time I get to my Mums I'll have to find the book of memories she contributed to, there's a story she wrote all about going to Fairham brook for a picnic.

She lived in Lenton (during the war) moving there from the Oxfordshire countryside after Grandpa got work there in the wood yards making bits for Mosquitoes (He was too old for armed service) And she was very upset and missed the country side that she's grown up in. The tale goes that one day somebody took them on a bus to the Ha penny bridge then the walk to the Brook followed by a play in the water etc, and she was 'home again'

It's a really poignant and heartfelt tale that brings a lump to my throat each time I read it!

[colly0410 1,181]

As Clifton pit was near the river was it a wet pit underground?

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

Bone dry. Clifton went through the main fault that the river sits on. Pit top was on built up land as like the Meadows, was a flood plain.

The two drifts going through the fault from pit bottom, would have gone under the Trent about half way between the pit and Clifton Bridge.

A lot of the workings in and around the 1940s and 50's went under West Bridgeford, I was surprised there is no subsidence damage to houses on the west side of WB.

[StephenFord 866]

Re #13, Clifton estate opened for business in (I think) 1952. There had been bus links into town along the north western perimeter for many years by South Notts buses from the Gotham direction. Buses into the estate started in 1952. All of them went along Wilford Lane and over Trent Bridge. That was 6 years before Clifton Bridge opened.

[colly0410 1,181]

Re post 23

Thanks for info John. Moorgreen upcast shaft was wet, when I used to get held up halfway across the loading ramp at the Piper seam inset water dripped down the back of my neck, gave me sumat to moan about, apart from looking down to the Low Main seam pit bottom a few hundred feet further down the shaft, GULP. .