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Re Bestwood Colliery, wonder if anyone can remind me of the buildings that were at the entrance next to The Bestwood Hotel? A pic would be fantastic. I really should remember as it was always one of my cross-country running routes right back to school days - 'Five miles to Bestwood' (2.5 miles each way to the pit entrance from Redhill along Colliers Pad, and back). For some reason I always have a clear memory of the vegetable garden at the house almost straight opposite the entrance which was invariably immaculate and teeming with beautiful home-grown produce.

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Yes. Education, education, education - remember that absolute bollocks from the prophet Tony Blair ? Get all the school leavers to go to University (to get them off the un-employment figures). Rena

I know most of you have probably seen this tribute to the Hucknall colliery miners but I thought it was worth posting all the same, unfortunately our coal heritage has all but gone and all thats left

That's right - and in one to the best demonstrations of poetic justice I have ever come across, Shipley Hall, home of the Mundy family who owned many of the coal mines in the area, had to be demolishe

For those that are interested in the Bestwood Winding House project I note that it is now completed and open this very day. Well done to all those concerned on their 'labour of love'. I can't find any relevant up-to-date online links but a short news report on TV today explained that access to the upper levels of the building is now available through a lift for those that require it. It also mentioned that the Winding House is open every Saturday to visitors from today.

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Re Bestwood Colliery, wonder if anyone can remind me of the buildings that were at the entrance next to The Bestwood Hotel?...

Rather belatedly Stu...

The line of buildings on the left side at the entrance were the Colliery Offices, where I'd regularly walk up from Area HQ to have an 'exchange of views' with Chief Clerk Bill Mayes! IIRC, the buildings opposite were the colliers changing areas...beyond which were the Pit Head Baths, with onward access to the headstocks etc.

Cheers

Robt P.

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Good to hear the winding house is now open - I will put it on my list for the next visit. Hopefully, there are plans to get it operating again too!

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Good to hear the winding house is now open - I will put it on my list for the next visit. Hopefully, there are plans to get it operating again too!

Maybe you'd like to visit us and we'll walk along Colliers Pad from Redhill up through the woods and pay it a visit, Eric.

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Sounds good to me Stu - I'll start saving my pennies!

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Ooooooooooh cheers on the info regarding Bestwood Colliery Headstocks open days. Is there a charge to go inside the building? We may take a trip across on Saturday as it's the OH's day off. :) My 6 year old loves historical places. :)

Forgot to add, the collieries at Shipley country Park (where the theme park used to be) was Shipley and Woodside collieries. :)

think the Michael School main building was one of the former colliery office buildings.

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Cheers Stu. The opening time of 12 is perfect for the other half, as he stays in bed most of the morning on his days off, so will be up in time for that. :) (drives to Manchester and back each day for work the rest of the week). My little one will love this too. :)

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Rather belatedly Stu...

The line of buildings on the left side at the entrance were the Colliery Offices, where I'd regularly walk up from Area HQ to have an 'exchange of views' with Chief Clerk Bill Mayes! IIRC, the buildings opposite were the colliers changing areas...beyond which were the Pit Head Baths, with onward access to the headstocks etc.

Cheers

Robt P.

In the late 50s and early 60s I spent many a happy hour in the living quarters of the Bestwood Hotel, which was run my my Grandparents, Arthur and Doris Berresford.

I was only 11 in 1960 and my memory is fading, but:

Between the pub and the pit buildings was an alley way. Along it and to the right, behind the pub, was the canteen. We used to sometimes get sent down there to buy ice cream.

On the other side of the alley, at its entrance was, I believe an entrance to the pit baths. I remember it as a curved building, or at least having a 30s style curved entrance. Near it was also a bus shelter, where we would wait to catch the 'Macko's' bus to Bulwell.

The view from the upstairs living room of the pub was terrific. There was a side window looking over the alley, but at the back was a superb view of the colliery yard. I would watch the little steam engines for hours. I remember in particular a pannier tank type, painted green. There would be piles of timber props an all sorts of stuff I didn't understand.

Somewhere in that view would also have been the site of the old Ironworks, but I never knowingly saw it. I'd love to know what, if any evidence is left of that.

Col

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I found a few like that one on my searches Roger. I even found one dedicated to John Anderton that used to sit outside the Manchester NCB HQ. John Anderton was credited with the "invention" of the Anderton Power Loader, or as we know it today, the shearer.

The NCB North West HQ was at Lowton and was called Anderton House, John Anderton worked for the Wigan Coal Co.

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In the late 50s and early 60s I spent many a happy hour in the living quarters of the Bestwood Hotel, which was run my my Grandparents, Arthur and Doris Berresford.

I was only 11 in 1960 and my memory is fading, but:

Between the pub and the pit buildings was an alley way. Along it and to the right, behind the pub, was the canteen. We used to sometimes get sent down there to buy ice cream.

On the other side of the alley, at its entrance was, I believe an entrance to the pit baths. I remember it as a curved building, or at least having a 30s style curved entrance. Near it was also a bus shelter, where we would wait to catch the 'Macko's' bus to Bulwell.

Col

I remembr that Macko's bus stop near the pit head baths. When we moved from the Meadows to Bestwwod village I was going out with a Meadows girl, we'll call her old girl friend, I found a new girlfriend in Bestwood but I forgot to tell her about old GF, I also forgot to tell old GF about new GF. The local guys & gals used to hang out at the bus stop. Anyway I was at the bus stop with my face buried in new GF's neck when old GF gets off the Macko's bus, I clocked her & tried to shrink & wanted the ground to swallow me, but it didn't work, she then clocked me, there was then lots of shouting & fuss, she got back on the bus & she was gone. I thought "never mind at least I've got new GF," wrong, she then went berserk & dumped me, this all happened in front of all my new mates, oh how they laughed. I never get away with things even now...

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There's an online book about the development of the "Anderton Shearer Loader" As Daz would say "Did John Anderton really invent the shearer power loader" He worked for Anderson Strathclyde and saw the development of many types of shearers, and pretty much knows the history of Anderson Boyes/Anderson Strathclyde.

John Anderton, together with his Mechanical Engineer, face fitter, workshop crew and with help from central workshops turned a drum shearer into a power loader. His persistence in designing a "plough", many hours of hard work, and lots of weekend overtime by his loyal crew turned a basic shearer into a fully working power loader that revolutionized longwall coal mining.

His idea was pretty basic if you look at the photos, but it worked, it was a far cry from the power loaders I worked on in the 60's though, the plough on those was a lot smaller, the drum had evolved into a spiral cutting head and the machine was hydraulically hauled on a 22mm chain. The ones of today bear no resemblance to John Andertons design, double ended ranging drums, radio controlled, vari speed AC or DC motors, full electronic control over cutting drum motor speeds and haulage speeds, weighing in at over 100 tons compared to the modified cutter weighing less than 10 tons of Johns design.

Plus his design ran on 550 volts, modern power loaders now run on 3300 volts at almost 1000hp.

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During the 50's, in pre-compensation days, several properties on Newlyn Drive (parallel with the above location) became badly affected by subsidence. Many of them were supported by huge beams, propped against side walls.

My Uncle lived in one such, and became so tormented by the phenomenon that he rapidly sold up, at a considerable loss.

Cheers

Robt P.

If you travel between Nuthall Road and Aspley Lane, halfway along on the right is a single house completely different to the rest, and behind it, on Newlyn Drive is another individual house. Both were considered beyond saving by the insurers and were completely rebuilt.

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Not saying "I told you so" but had said same thing in post 22 on page 2,, knew Newlyn Drive and Newlyn Gardens (the lollypop) well as love of my life circa 1964 (no names but you know who you are Margaret) had relations on there, Around same era used to go "scrambing" on the former Newcastle pit sidings near Breffits motorcycle garage and route of Thomas North's pit railway around Melbourne park on likes of 200cc 2 stroke bikes

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My Chargehand Elec on nights at Clifton originally came from Mapperley Colliery, he like the pit are long gone.

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For anyone interested there is a book 'The Leen Valley at Work' by ex Nottingham Post journalist Martin Weiss. I have a copy and there is a chapter on coal mines, although does not comprehensively cover each one, there is something about all of them.

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I had a website starting on the Notts pits and incorporating the Derbyshire pits, the aim was to have the site cover all pits from 1947 to the end, alas the hosts servers crashed and are still not back up and running three years since......I have been looking for a free host that allows tons of bandwidth, at least 5gb of disk space..I'd already got up to 1.5gigs with just Notts and Derbyshire, but could pare that back with lower res photos.

Anyone wanting colliery information, just ask, if I haven't got it in my notes I can research it and be back with info within a couple of days.

I do have seams worked at most Notts and Derbyshire pits, depths etc, years sunk and closure dates, plus some I have loads of info on.

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According to our coal authority survey seven seams have been worked under our house near Rolls-Royce Hucknall. The only ones I can think of worked at Hucknall # 1 & 2 are: Top Hard, High Main, Main Bright, Deep Soft & Black Shale, that's only five, can't think what the other two seams could be, unless some other pits have worked under this area..

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Deep Hard, Tupton, Piper....Bit nearer the surface Waterloo seams.. 1st and 2nd Ell..

Babbington worked around there too, Top pit was part of Babbingtons ventilation circuit towards the end.

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