A beautiful concept and a fantastic series production Dave. I have just watched all three parts back to back. I worked in 12 different coal mines from 1974 until 1998 and at all levels from Collier to Collier General Manager. Your work and dedication is vital to help preserve the mining spirit that has been passed down from generation to generation! Best regards Andy Devey
Same story every time, those responsible are exonerated and never held to account with the families receiving little or no help or recompense. My Mother came from Wrexham, her family lost relatives and neighbours in the Gresford disaster. Wonderful series of videos thank you.
Hi Mr Cherry. This may or may not be of interest to you, and it regards information relating to the Norcroft Pit disaster of 1821. Our Family History research has turned up the fact that our ancestor, Richard Hey and his wife, resided at no.2 and no.49 Upper Norcroft and his occupation was an Agricultural Labourer. He (aged 30 in 1821) may have been living there around the time of that awful disaster and possibly bore witness to the events that took place. We have not as yet been able to confirm that, but was there definitely in 1841 as that Census shows and he paid Land Tax in 1825 for house and land owned by the Stanhopes. If he was not residing there at that time, he may well have moved in after the accident as the mine closed and some of the miners families affected vacated the premises.
Hi Dave Cherry, I have a question for you, and perhaps you can answer my question, My grandfather worked at Woolley Colliery upto when it closed, and he lived in the old pit houses on low road at Woolley, He passed away in 1992 so I cannot ask him now, but you can perhaps, When the former Woolley Colliery was redeveloped into housing I bought a flat on the development, and I would love to know what is buried below my the apartment block where I live is near the place where the old winding gear was, and not far from the building is a grassed area which I think is where the shaft is going down to the coal face, I remember visiting my grandparents when Woolley Colliery was a working pit, and seeing the slag tips, and all the smoking chimney stacks from the pit houses, but my question is what has happened to the coal face below I know the pit shafts will have been capped off but what will have happened to the coal cutting equipment below, and will all the coal face's be still dry or will they have been flooded, it sometimes feels odd living where my grandfather worked (He worked on the coal washer) and my uncle used to look after the pit pony's when they used them. I always remember the coal miner's strike also, I was a young boy back then and will alway's remember the hardship my freinds went through back then, it was saddening to think there battle was for nothing, and someone told me there is enough coal to last for a hundreds of years, and I am sure we have the science to harness and use it, there will come a point when the oil well's in the north sea dry out and we have to re open the coal mines, but it will be double trouble, as the skill's to mine coal will have been lost as we have lost our coal mines, my heart feels for all these miner's who fought to keep there pits opened, Perhaps Brexit may be the start of something to kick start coal mining again, as we are rich in the Black Gold!!
Thanks for your interest Alex. Would you believe I worked at Woolley in the strike period. I was an area electrician and travelled around the Barnsley pits. I worked on the Dodworth connection drivage there from March 1982 until December 1985 when I was transferred to Royston. I knew all the local pits. I was also a club turn so knew most of the lads. I was there during the whole strike and was there at the end. I knew a lot of the Woolley lads and remember them and all the NUM officials with great fondness. Did you know I was on picket duty when the strike was broken in July 1984. It was frightening. You can see my cine film of the lads going back at the end of the strike it on here. The answer to your question is simple. There were shaft pillars around all the shafts so it is solid ground below. No coal was hewn within a certain distance of the shaft pillars. There were 3 shafts and 2 drifts there as far as I know. You can see what is below your apartment on a coalfield site. I can give more info on this and put you in touch with some of the old lads who were there all the time. Also 'Chasing Rainbows' on Channel 4 was filmed there in 1985. Cheers Dave Cherry
Hi Dave, Another phenomenal video. My dad used to work at Barrow as well as a coal cutter. Here is a question, my nan lived in Birdwell and you could see a colliery from her upstairs window. It would have been close to Blacker Hill...
That would have been Rockingham. There were also 3 shafts at Blacker Hill which was part of Rockingham. What was your dads name? I worked at Barrow from 1962 to 1974. Ta for your comment. Dave.
Really enjoyed That Dave. Keep up the good work. However; Jonathan Pratt wern't a Barnsley chap...He was from Lancashire. Have you ever come across any Of Barry Heaths stuff . He was a miner at Clipstone who wrote poetry and songs. Saw a documentry with him on in the 1980's
Cheers for that Clive. The song is an old Fivepenny Piece tune and I have been doing it for years in my act. They were a fantastic Lancashire group and I slightly changed the words to suit our dialect. Have just completed a film about 3 pit explosions in Worsbrough Dale in the nineteenth century. Ta for your comments--Dave
HI THERE AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR VERY INTERESING VIDEO.FOR A LONG TIME I HAVE INTENDED COVERING BY VIDEO AS MANY PIT SITES AS POSSIBLE BUT UNLESS YOU KNOW THE EXACT LOCATION OF THESE SITES WOULD BE HARD TO FIND.I WORKED AT ASKERN PIT WHERE THE SHAFTS ARE NOT HARD TO FIND.SEE MY VIDEO "ASKERN PIT SITE".AT SOME SITES IT WOULDN'T SURPRISE ME IF THE SHAFTS HAVE BEEN COVERED WITH SOIL,GRASS ECT SO CANNOT BE FOUND.WHICH ROAD IS THE NEAREST TO WHARNCLIFFE SILKSTONE AT PILLEY?I HAVE FOUND ON GOOGLE MAPS ALL THE PITS ALONG FROM CAPHOUSE APPART FROM GRANGE ASH.I HAVE A MAP OF SKIERS SPRING AND 6 SHAFTS ARE SHOWN.DID YOU FIND THE WALKWAY NEAR TO THE COTTAGE.CHEERS,PHILIP.
Philip. The shafts at Wharncliffe Silkstone are concealed. They are in the industrial estate at Tankersley in the Marons/fire station area. The lad on the film Pete Clarney knows exactly where they were. Can give you his number. Skiers just has one visible capped shaft-its on my second film. I used to play the Askern Club there in its hey day wheb I was a club turn. Brilliant people. Cheers. DC
thank you for letting me know dave.sorry but I hadn't watched all your vid when I asked which was the nearest road to wharncliffe silkstone pit.i have several pit books that in some are maps with the locations of where the pits are.as I suspected my quest will be fraught with probs and since I haven't a car would need to hire one so must get as much done in one day as poss.yes please give me your friends number and maybe he will take me with him one day.
![เป็นไปได้ไหม - WanMai [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/_6lZ6b3_7Vo/mqdefault.jpg)
Great video, miners unsung hero’s who really built Britain.
Well done, keeping history alive
A beautiful concept and a fantastic series production Dave. I have just watched all three parts back to back. I worked in 12 different coal mines from 1974 until 1998 and at all levels from Collier to Collier General Manager. Your work and dedication is vital to help preserve the mining spirit that has been passed down from generation to generation!
Best regards Andy Devey
Guys, an extremely interesting set of videos. An industry and heritage gone. Thanks for your work
thanks for your kind comments Dave. stay Safe Dave Cherry
Same story every time, those responsible are exonerated and never held to account with the families receiving little or no help or recompense. My Mother came from Wrexham, her family lost relatives and neighbours in the Gresford disaster. Wonderful series of videos thank you.
Thanks for your kind comments. Have you seen the one about the Worsbrough Dale disasters. Cheers Dave.
This is it-th-cam.com/video/I--D6soMAEs/w-d-xo.html
Another gem Dave.
Cheers Graham.
Brilliant thanks dave
All three videos were very interesting, please do a video about Rotherham pits
Hi Mr Cherry. This may or may not be of interest to you, and it regards information relating to the Norcroft Pit disaster of 1821. Our Family History research has turned up the fact that our ancestor, Richard Hey and his wife, resided at no.2 and no.49 Upper Norcroft and his occupation was an Agricultural Labourer. He (aged 30 in 1821) may have been living there around the time of that awful disaster and possibly bore witness to the events that took place. We have not as yet been able to confirm that, but was there definitely in 1841 as that Census shows and he paid Land Tax in 1825 for house and land owned by the Stanhopes. If he was not residing there at that time, he may well have moved in after the accident as the mine closed and some of the miners families affected vacated the premises.
Hi Dave Cherry, I have a question for you, and perhaps you can answer my question, My grandfather worked at Woolley Colliery upto when it closed, and he lived in the old pit houses on low road at Woolley, He passed away in 1992 so I cannot ask him now, but you can perhaps, When the former Woolley Colliery was redeveloped into housing I bought a flat on the development, and I would love to know what is buried below my the apartment block where I live is near the place where the old winding gear was, and not far from the building is a grassed area which I think is where the shaft is going down to the coal face, I remember visiting my grandparents when Woolley Colliery was a working pit, and seeing the slag tips, and all the smoking chimney stacks from the pit houses, but my question is what has happened to the coal face below I know the pit shafts will have been capped off but what will have happened to the coal cutting equipment below, and will all the coal face's be still dry or will they have been flooded, it sometimes feels odd living where my grandfather worked (He worked on the coal washer) and my uncle used to look after the pit pony's when they used them. I always remember the coal miner's strike also, I was a young boy back then and will alway's remember the hardship my freinds went through back then, it was saddening to think there battle was for nothing, and someone told me there is enough coal to last for a hundreds of years, and I am sure we have the science to harness and use it, there will come a point when the oil well's in the north sea dry out and we have to re open the coal mines, but it will be double trouble, as the skill's to mine coal will have been lost as we have lost our coal mines, my heart feels for all these miner's who fought to keep there pits opened, Perhaps Brexit may be the start of something to kick start coal mining again, as we are rich in the Black Gold!!
Thanks for your interest Alex. Would you believe I worked at Woolley in the strike period. I was an area electrician and travelled around the Barnsley pits. I worked on the Dodworth connection drivage there from March 1982 until December 1985 when I was transferred to Royston. I knew all the local pits. I was also a club turn so knew most of the lads. I was there during the whole strike and was there at the end. I knew a lot of the Woolley lads and remember them and all the NUM officials with great fondness. Did you know I was on picket duty when the strike was broken in July 1984. It was frightening. You can see my cine film of the lads going back at the end of the strike it on here. The answer to your question is simple. There were shaft pillars around all the shafts so it is solid ground below. No coal was hewn within a certain distance of the shaft pillars. There were 3 shafts and 2 drifts there as far as I know. You can see what is below your apartment on a coalfield site. I can give more info on this and put you in touch with some of the old lads who were there all the time. Also 'Chasing Rainbows' on Channel 4 was filmed there in 1985. Cheers Dave Cherry
Have you seen this Alex? click--th-cam.com/video/B9esB6uNQ6I/w-d-xo.html
Hi Dave,
Another phenomenal video. My dad used to work at Barrow as well
as a coal cutter. Here is a question, my nan lived in Birdwell and you could see a colliery from her upstairs window. It would have been close to Blacker Hill...
That would have been Rockingham. There were also 3 shafts at Blacker Hill which was part of Rockingham. What was your dads name? I worked at Barrow from 1962 to 1974. Ta for your comment. Dave.
Chee C that was blacker main located whare the
industrial estate is now , near metaliform
Hoyland Silkstone also known as Platts Common Colliery
barrow colliery
Really enjoyed That Dave. Keep up the good work. However; Jonathan Pratt wern't a Barnsley chap...He was from Lancashire. Have you ever come across any Of Barry Heaths stuff . He was a miner at Clipstone who wrote poetry and songs. Saw a documentry with him on in the 1980's
Cheers for that Clive. The song is an old Fivepenny Piece tune and I have been doing it for years in my act. They were a fantastic Lancashire group and I slightly changed the words to suit our dialect. Have just completed a film about 3 pit explosions in Worsbrough Dale in the nineteenth century. Ta for your comments--Dave
Do you know much of Redbrook pit?
Some more pits around Skiers Spring here for you to discover Dave www.irsociety.co.uk/Archives/54/Lidgett.htm
HI THERE AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR VERY INTERESING VIDEO.FOR A LONG TIME I HAVE INTENDED COVERING BY VIDEO AS MANY PIT SITES AS POSSIBLE BUT UNLESS YOU KNOW THE EXACT LOCATION OF THESE SITES WOULD BE HARD TO FIND.I WORKED AT ASKERN PIT WHERE THE SHAFTS ARE NOT HARD TO FIND.SEE MY VIDEO "ASKERN PIT SITE".AT SOME SITES IT WOULDN'T SURPRISE ME IF THE SHAFTS HAVE BEEN COVERED WITH SOIL,GRASS ECT SO CANNOT BE FOUND.WHICH ROAD IS THE NEAREST TO WHARNCLIFFE SILKSTONE AT PILLEY?I HAVE FOUND ON GOOGLE MAPS ALL THE PITS ALONG FROM CAPHOUSE APPART FROM GRANGE ASH.I HAVE A MAP OF SKIERS SPRING AND 6 SHAFTS ARE SHOWN.DID YOU FIND THE WALKWAY NEAR TO THE COTTAGE.CHEERS,PHILIP.
Philip. The shafts at Wharncliffe Silkstone are concealed. They are in the industrial estate at Tankersley in the Marons/fire station area. The lad on the film Pete Clarney knows exactly where they were. Can give you his number. Skiers just has one visible capped shaft-its on my second film. I used to play the Askern Club there in its hey day wheb I was a club turn. Brilliant people. Cheers. DC
thank you for letting me know dave.sorry but I hadn't watched all your vid when I asked which was the nearest road to wharncliffe silkstone pit.i have several pit books that in some are maps with the locations of where the pits are.as I suspected my quest will be fraught with probs and since I haven't a car would need to hire one so must get as much done in one day as poss.yes please give me your friends number and maybe he will take me with him one day.
Expand into Rotherham dave