Radford and Wollaton mines 1887


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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.

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Re #25 Correct.

Re#26. As I said.

In the 60s I walked the length of the Thomas North Railway from Strelley Tip to Newcastle Wharf which was the site of Newcastle Colliery. It was on the corner of Nuthall Road and Western Boulevard. Called Newcastle because it was on land associated with the Duke of Newcastle. If you follow the line of Poplar trees on Melbourne Park, that is where the railway went. Until recently there were traces of it between the allotments on Western Boulevard and David Lloyd Centre, more was to be seen when it was John Player Social Club.

If you frequent the narrow roads between Strelley and Babbington you can see traces of the railway in the fields where it hasn't been flattened, and where the junction was at Swingate (where the tall antenna is) you can just make out the trackbed in slight relief in the field.

When they were building Broxtowe country park in the early 1980s, Spoil was taken from the GCR embankment at Basford to fill in the T North cutting behind Broxtowe Estate. The local kids used to jump off the cutting sides and ride on the lorries before the driver got out and taught them some new swear words. This carried on until my work mate's youngest son fell off and rolled under the rear wheels of the lorry. His death completely destroyed the family and I remember what a very sad time it was.

I still have a look on Google Earth to see if anything is still visible of the old trackbed. On Picture the Past, I found some interesting photos of them building the bridge over Broxtowe Lane (parapets are still there), and also photos of the level crossing where the Thomas North Railway crossed over the Trowell Line while they were still building Western Boulevard.

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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.

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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.

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One thing tthat has recently puzzled me about Wollaton, shafts are listed as 2 and 3 both by the BGS and the shaft sinkers logs, so where was 1??? I cannot find any referance to shaft 1, OR was 1 Radford shaft?

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I think only Babbington (Cinderhill) coal was sent to Newcastle wharf in post nationalisation days. When the canal was open at Radford, I would imagine coal was sent from all pits on the railway.

I remember when I first started on the operations side of things on the railway, we sent engines to pick up coal trains at Babbington, but this soon stopped. The reason being, the sidings sloped steeply to the sidings throat. Wagons often ran away and smashed into the side of the class 47 sent to collect them. Must have been the vibrations. After about 1982, all coal was surfaced at Hucknall and Babbington was only used for personnel access.

Happy memories of Wollaton pit. Watching the engine collect the full wagons and shunting them into the right order. Hearing the constant bumps and bangs and the sound of the pit wheel going round. And hearing the muffled sounds in bed at night when the wind was in the right direction. We never thought it would all end one day.

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It may have been on the drawing boards when Wollaton was planned Brian. I doubt I'll ever find out now, unless there's some old book lying around from the 1800's.

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The first proper Wollaton pit was near Moor Road on Bramcote Moor but I think Wollaton and Radford pits were owned by something called The Grove Estates.

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They were prior to Vesting Day. Pre the Wollaton one you mention, were the bell pits that were also called "Wollaton Colliery". They date back to the 1600's.

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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 Wollaton 56100 tons.

Under the NCB the output of both collieries was significantly higher.

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My great granddad, Luke Fenton worked at Wollaton/Radford pits between the wars. He was an alky. Between that and coal dust, he didn't live long.

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My Granddad who lived in Bilborough and worked down Wollaton pit until he was transferred to the newly opened Cotgrave pit. I am not sure if he went there through choice or Wollaton pit was closing. I don't even know what year he went.

I was told many years ago when l was a youngster that he had an accident down the pit which involved a timber pit prop of which caused problems for him in later life.

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When a pit was set for closing, everyone was "interviewed" and told where a job opening was. When Clifton was up for closure I was told Mansfield Colliery would be the one I was to be transferred to, I protested as it was a fair way to travel, Union Lodge Secretary agreed, so I ended up at Cotgrave to finished my apprenticeship.

Like many pits at that time, many were deemed unprofitable as Cotgrave had a high turn over in labour, and men were needed to work it, so excuses were made, books were "cooked" to "prove" they were bleeding red ink.

Irony was, many who transferred with me left within months of going to Cotgrave.

Clifton had over 50 years of coal reserves left in the Ashgate and Blackshale seams.

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Funny you mention that Robbie. When Wollaton pit shut in the mid 60s, one or two of my mates in Bilborough disappeared. Must have gone to Cotgrave.

I had a little laugh to myself. We have been talking of sending coals to Newcastle (wharf).

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  • 2 years later...

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