Cinderhill Colliery mid 1980's


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cinderhill-pit-1980s.jpg

I was driving through Broxtowe country park one day, when an approaching storm turned the sky black.

I could see a rainbow, just needed the right place to photograph it, I raced the changing light conditions, to reach the pit just in time to snap the above image.

Its a copy of a 5x3" photo, which is very scratched and has been stashed away till I found it this week.

I wish I still had the negative!

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cinderhill-pit-1980s.jpg

I was driving through Broxtowe country park one day, when an approaching storm turned the sky black.

I could see a rainbow, just needed the right place to photograph it, I raced the changing light conditions,

to reach the pit just in time to snap the above photograph, which has been stashed away till i found it this week.

Its a copy of a 5x3" photo, which is very scratched.

I wish I still had the negative!

That was Babbington Colliery Mick, Cinderhill closed many years before that picture was taken, although the old NCB medical unit was called Cinderhill Unit when I was in their employ. That headstock , although rebuilt from it's wooden one during the nationalised years, was based on the origonal tandem headstocks.installed when the pit was first sunk. Towards its demise, Babbingtons coal went out a different pit and was used only for men and materials.

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Thanks John.

And to answer Micks question, I dont know?

Someone here will know the answer?

And the legendary Pot of gold is probably now buried under the Tram Tracks?

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Wouldn't take a lot of "cleaning up" Mick, then you'd have a "brand new" picture. I've cleaned quite a few up for clients that had lost the negatives. I was also given some impossible ones that were treasured memories that were just too badly damaged.

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Hi Mick,

Great pictures and bought back some memories, Mickety, the Colliers arms was further to the left in the pics, great little pub and I think there si a picture of it some where on this site, once again thanks for the memories

Rog

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  • 1 year later...

Yes, indeed it was to the right and beyond the bridge.

My 50's stamping ground, so can recall both bridge and island...where the 41 trackless did it's tight U-turn!

Top venue for seeing the poles fly off the wires...

Also scene of many major road accidents...well before the days of 'give way to traffic from the right'. Many motorists hardly bothered to slow down at the junction.

Cheers

Bockscar.

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Yes you're both right the pub was to the right in the picture just past the main pit entrance gate I think,m still a great pub though

Rog

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Here's one of many photo's Shane Phillips sent me.

babbingtoncolliery03.jpg

  • Upvote 1
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Remember the managers and/or officals houses off Cinderhill Rd? was the road called "The Cliff"? I think 1980's such were advertised for sale (all except the first one, then still occupied by an old pitman) Can't recall if open to offers or going to auction but guide prices were around £6000 to £8000, even in their derelict condition, stupidly cheap for 4 bed houses and soon withdrawn from sale, I think the 4 possibly 5 were sold via done deal for £100.000, at the time I thought stupid prices, £20,000 to £25,000 for a rundown house? must be mad paying that!

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Yes, I recall those properties but in the 50's and early 60's.

Several were occupied by 'top brass' from Bestwood's No 6 Area HQ including Area Electrical Engineer Ron Nash and Group Manager E.C. Lawrence, one of the countries leading amateur 'radio ham's', with his roof festooned by aerials.

IIRC, he was the modest holder of a Victoria Cross, from his naval days...John may remember him from NCB times.

Do you remember, further down Cinderhill Road, the NCB Medical HQ at Springhead?. Located down a driveway in the midst of the sprawling prefabs'

Cheers

Bockscar

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yea, just past GNR bridge on the left, wasn't it some old mansion or something? wonder if anyone has a photo of the Newcastle Colliery? theres one from when they were building Western Blvd where you can just see top of headstocks but that's all I've seen. Also wonder if a pit somewhere Hockley area? at bottom of there the road used to be called pit lane?

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I don't recall any top brass NCB names Rob, I do recall the old medical centre, as that's where we had to go for our medical before signing on.

There was no mining on that side of the city Ashley, seams were just too deep, farthest east of Radford was Gedling. I think Newcastle Colliery was around the Aspley area, the leases originally belonged to the Duke of Newcastle, I'll dig through my notes to verify where Newcastle Colliery was. There was also two pits in the Basford area. The true Cinderhill Colliery was a couple of miles west of Babbington. If you look on maps around the 60's era, you will find a clay quarry marked and close by marked is "disused colliery" That was Cinderhill Colliery, almost on the outcrop of the Top Hard seam. My assumption is the Middletons mined coal to the west of Wollaton Estate via bell pits in the Top Hard seam, more well known as the famous "Barnsley Bed" of Yorkshire.

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My mistake with the Group Manager's name...

Group Manager Eric Lawrence was best remembered as a cricketing stalwart with Wollaton CC, and lived at Bramcote.

The 'radio ham' Group Manager was named Walmsley. Uncertain of the last Group Manager - was it Joe Haywood?...another fine club cricketer with Bestwood Colliery CC.

Cheers

Bockscar...

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Was only going on that "Pit Lane" name re Hockley, for all I know a bear pit,lol Yes knew of the 2 pits at Cinderhill and fact Babbo so called as owned by Babbington Colliery Co of Awsworth/Ilkeston. Newcastle Pit was on or just off Nuthall Rd virtually opposite The Newcastle Arms pub corner of Basford Road, never saw it working of course but in later years it was a coal distribution yard with some hopper arrangement that fed lorries with coal that had been took there via the Thomas North railway that crossed Melbourne Rd, some of that track bed of such can be walked on off Melbourne Rd and (last time I was there ) evidence of old sidings at Newcastle site, route of line skirting Melbourne Park to Western Boulevard can still be found

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Here's a bit of history, the main collieries in Nottingham in 1861 were, Cinderhill, Newcastle, Kimberley and Babbington, all belonging to Thomas North. Radford, Catstonehill and the Old Engine Pit near Trowell Moor, belonging to Lord Middleton and Watnall Colliery. By 1860, there were 21 collieries operational in Notts and 26 by 1869.

Output reached 732,666 tons in 1862 and rose to 1,575,000 in 1867.

And remember, all coal was "won" by hand, undercut with a pick, brought down with a "ringer" and hauled by ponies to pit bottom before being wound up the shafts with steam winding engines.

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Great Map Lynmee, shows the pit well, also the long gone "middle bit of Whitemoor Road" that was the "main road" from old basford to radford etc, bearings can be got from High Street, (now Basford rd) and still there Newcastle Terrace and Albert Avenue

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Thanks John.

And to answer Micks question, I dont know?

Someone here will know the answer?

And the legendary Pot of gold is probably now buried under the Tram Tracks?

I worked at Babbington until 1958. The building to the right of the headstocks was the canteen and the pithead baths. The Collier's Arms is further to the right and out of shot. Incidentally, the two shafts covered by the tandem headgear were Known as "Windy" and "Smokey" since this was ventilated originally by a fire in the shaft bottom.

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Where on a modern day map would Newcastle colliery have been??

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Ashley reveals it location in #17...

Always understood that it had previously occupied the later site of Newcastle Wharf - which, post war, was replenished by the rail line from Cinderhill Colliery.

Cheers

Bockscar...

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Where on a modern day map would Newcastle colliery have been??

At the road junction A610/Western Boulevard there stands a short row of shops. They stand at an angle to the junction as it was originally a traffic island before the traffic lights were installed. Newcastle colliery was accessed via a road at the right side of these shops and was situated to the rear about 200 yards back.

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