Evocative 1960's colour picture, Stanton Ironworks at full blast

[firbeck 860]

I came across this one I must have taken about 1969, it just shows you how much filth was dumped on to the surrounding areas by the place, I must have captured this one at the moment the coke ovens were dropped, that smoke really was sulphurous and somewhere under that was the sports field, I recall choking with the fumes during hockey matches I played there.

Note the remains of the spoil heaps to Trowell Moor Colliery in the right foreground, the centre being dug out and filled with blast furnace slurry. You can just make out the Derbyshire Hills in the background, you could quite clearly see Crich Stand from there on a decent day.

This of course was taken from the top of Catstone Hill, noted for it's fantastic views in those days, we would sit on the trig point for hours and take it all in. The last time I was up there the trees had all been allowed to grow up, the view was totally non existent, why, what was the point in allowing that to happen and ruining one of the best vistas in Nottinghamshire. Have the 'Powers that Be' ever given an explanation for this, are they so stupid, if I still lived up there the first thing I'd do would be to get the view restored, it's only the trees around the top that are a problem.

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

Can't be Trowell Moor Colliery firbeck, it closed in 1928. Wouldn't those two towers be blast furnaces????

[firbeck 860]

Can't be Trowell Moor Colliery firbeck, it closed in 1928. Wouldn't those two towers be blast furnaces????

I never said it was, you must be reading this differently mate, the US time must be effecting your brain old pal, or you have a hangover. The picture is of Stanton Ironworks with it's blast furnaces being very prominent in the centre as it says in the title, like I said you can make out Trowell Moor Colliery slagheaps in the bottom right foregound, they were being used at the time to dump waste from the ironworks blast furnaces, it may have closed in 1928 but some of the buildings and the spoil tips were still there in 1969, as are the grassed remains of the tips today. I grew up in the area in the 50's and 60's and knew the place like the back of my hand.

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

No, can't be a hangover, don't drink enough, must have misread your post , so the two towers are blast furnaces then.

[Bubblewrap 3,815]

Trowell Moor colliery still appears on Ordnance Survey map 112 dated 1954.

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

It maybe a 1954 map but the survey may have been from much earlier.

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

It's listed as closed 1926 bubblewrap, there was no pit by that name listed on Vesting Day. Maybe the shafts hadn't been filled and capped in 1954?? I'd have to do a search of the BGS site to find that info out.

[Bubblewrap 3,815]

Surveyed in 1950

Was Trowell Moor linked underground to wollaton as Wollaton was to Radford?

In other words access to the seam was reached via Wollaton & coal wound up at Wollaton.

And wasn't Newcastle colliery linked underground to Radford/Wollaton ?

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

Not to my knowledge, all the last faces at Wollaton were to the south, there are old workings to the west of Wollaton dating to the 1700's, the NCB drilled a series of boreholes to locate these workings as there were no maps of them, probably the original Wollaton colliery after "bellpit" era. Due to these old workings, Wollatons workings never extended beyond those safety boreholes.

Even today, on the abandonment maps, it just shows the old workings as "suspected old workings".

I doubt very much Wollaton/Radford would have joined up with Newcastle, as that was Lord Newcastles property, and had closed many years before Nationalisation.

I have no information regarding Radford or Wollaton being linked to Newcastle.

Obviously, Radford was joined with Wollaton for ventilation purposes as it only had one shaft.

[Bubblewrap 3,815]

Just found this on Trowell Moor

http://www.healeyhero.co.uk/rescue/pits/Trowell/Trowell.html

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

Radford and Wollaton pits were linked underground as they were both once owned by Grove Estates.

I don't think Newcastle Colliery was linked to Radford and Wollaton. Newcastle, Babbington (Cinderhill), Bulwell, Broxtowe and Kimberely were all originally owned by Thomas North and all except Bulwell were linked overground by a private railway.

[Bubblewrap 3,815]

Woolaton colliery was opened around 1874 & "Radford Woodhouse" was built to house the colliers by the colliery company.

Both my maternal grandparents were born on Gate Street in 1887(next door to each other & only a few days apart)

My Grandfather worked at Woolaton colliery(from the asge of 12?) all his working life

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

Babbington was linked to Hucknall top pit, which formed part of its ventilation scheme, Hucknall top pit was linked to Hucknall bottom pit, the road had a rope hauled manrider installed.

I think Hucknall bottom pit was linked to Linby and Bestwood, coal was transported up the Lancaster drift.

Not sure if Linby was linked to Newstead/Annesly, but they were linked to Bentinck.

Clifton was going to be linked underground via 41's main gate to Cotgrave.

[TheTramp 139]

Firbeck; went up Catstone tonight on the south side round the reservoir, the authorities are clearing the footpaths and laying a stone surface for a long distance track, sure to be proudly announced when done, still fab views to the south beyond Leicester and east to Belvoir, west to God knows where, glimpses north across the M1. Will go back in clearer weather, Wollaton shews its best face from there, didn't know I liked it so much till I saw from Catstone!