Pleasley Colliery: Difference between revisions
Pleasley Colliery is a former English coal mine. It is located to the north-west of Pleasley village, which sits above the north bank of the River Meden on the Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire border. It lies 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Mansfield and 9 miles (14.5 km) south of Chesterfield. From the south it commands a prominent position on the skyline, although less so now than when the winders were in operation and both chimney stacks were in place. The colliery is situated at about 500 ft (152m) above sea level and is aligned on a NE–SW axis following the trend of the river valley at this point.
After closure of the colliery in 1986, most of the surface infrastructure was demolished and what remains are the two headstocks which stood above the shafts, the engine-house complex, containing the two steam winders which were used to raise the coal, one dating from 1904 and the other from 1922, and one of the 40 m high brick chimneys which served the steam boiler range. The engine-house complex is a grade 2 listed building and the site has been scheduled as an Ancient Monument.
The site is owned and managed by the Land Trust and the licensed occupiers are the Friends of Pleasley Pit restoration group who set the wheels in motion to ensure the preservation of the site and have been responsible for the renovation the two unique steam winders. The parent organisation of the Friends is the Pleasley Pit Trust, a registered charity, which is now undertaking the transformation of the site into a mining heritage centre.
The old pit tip was reworked to extract residual coal, after which it was landscaped to create a nature reserve consisting of footpaths and lakes. The two adjacent railway lines were part of an extensive network serving the Nottinghamshire–Derbyshire coal field and the disused tracks have been converted into cycle trails linking the collieries to the west and nearby Hardwick Hall.
History[edit]
Timeline[edit]
It was sunk in the 1870s and produced coal until 1983. It still retains its headstocks, engine-houses and steam winders, one of which was installed in 1904 by Lilleshall Co. Ltd. and the other in 1922 by Markham & Co. Ltd. Pleasley Colliery is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument and is in the process of being developed into a mining heritage site. The headstocks, engine-houses and chimney have undergone major conservation work and the two unique steam winders have been restored by members of the Friends of Pleasley Pit preservation group.
1872–1879[edit]
In 1872 a lease for the extraction of coal from the Top Hard seam, together with the construction and operation of a colliery, was granted to the Stanton Iron Company by William Edward Nightingale, the father of the famous Victorian nursing pioneer, Florence Nightingale. (Florence is reputed to have “turned the first sod” at the commencement of sinking). William (né Shore) was lord of the manor of Pleasley, having bought the manor in 1823 for £38,000. He died in a tragic accident in 1874 and the manor passed to his other daughter, Parthenon, the wife of Sir Harry Verney. A large field on the brow of the hill overlooking the River Meden valley was chosen and work soon started on levelling the site and preparing the surface infrastructure and access roads.
During 1873 sinking commenced at the two 14.5 ft. diameter shafts and the engine-houses were constructed in time for the installation the following year of two pairs of steam winding engines built by the Worsley Mesnes Iron Co which were initially used for powering the pumps. The sinking soon ran into difficulties due to the high volumes of water encountered in the first 150 yds and progress was halted for four to five months after the sinking pumps had been overwhelmed. In order to deal with the large feeders of water now encountered, four 18″ diameter pumps were then installed in the № 1 shaft and sinking at the № 2 shaft was discontinued. The subsequent impact of the pumping was considerable, with wells and springs over a wide area drying up and the water disappearing from the Mansfield quarries almost 3 miles away.
In order to hold back the water, the shaft had to be lined for about 115 yds with cast-iron tubing, a slow and expensive operation. When sinking was resumed below this, the strata was much drier and most of the pumping equipment was removed. Sinking proceeded without further problems and the Top Hard seam was eventually reached in February 1877. The pumps were then installed in the № 2 shaft and sinking was resumed there. Similar volumes of water were encountered and this shaft also required the installation of a similar length of tubing. Later that year, in order to raise further capital, the Stanton Iron Co. decided to incorporate as a limited company and, early in 1878, 5,752 shares were issued. The sinking headframes were then removed at the № 1 shaft and the permanent headstocks erected. By the end of…