The Rigging Of England. Up Sharneyford Bacup at George Maxwell's Change Colliery

Sharneyford road traverses the moors between Bacup in East Lancashire and Todmorden in West Yorkshire. It is a hidden industrial archaeological gem. In Today's episode we introduce you to the area and explain its importance during the industrial revolution and begin to show you the sites.
Our first video on the area concentrates on a small colliery in Greave Clough known as Change Colliery. We discuss it's development and throw a spotlight on some of it's owners through the years.
Higher Change and Sharneyford communities were a mixture of colliers and textile workers for going on for a hundred year. incidents were bound to happen and usually occur when rowdy colliers turn out of the pub at closing time to find a policeman waiting for them.
Music.
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[@sher142able]

Lovely to see my neighbourhood and learn about the history, don't know how you remember it all! I know my cottage was originally an NCB house.

[@ronniesimpson3665]

Outstanding local history

[@MrChillameno]

Absolutely brilliant. I know them hills like the back of my hand, and I never knew so much history was around there. I recognise the places in all you're video's. Thanks for the history lessons.

[@rossendalecollieries7995]

Thanks Phil. Got a lot more work to do on that area, its a fascinating place isn't it

[@keithrimmer3]

Thanks Clive for that wonderful bit of history

[@pcppestcontrol]

Brilliant Clive, how on earth do you remember all that stuff, very interesting indeed, puts my limited knowlege of mining that area to shame. Keep up the good work, a joy to watch & take in.

[@mikegroocock6279]

Brilliant presenter and great video.

[@Gillmeister2465]

Thanks for researching this Clive, very interesting information, you are a great mining historian, ps my old pal Brian marcon, remembers you from whitewood tech Castleford doing your deputies papers 😊

[@rossendalecollieries7995]

Thanks for the encouragement. Please say hi to Brian from me.. Long time ago now..1989

[@sefgrt]

Incredible knowledge and thanks for sharing 🎉

[@rossendalecollieries7995]

Thanks for your encouragement

[@juliescott2637]

My Mum worked at Temperly's back in the 70's. We lived across from Change Post Office overlooking Greave, just below The Flowers pub. My Great Uncle was also a miner up Sharneyford. We also had a perfect view of Tooter Hill from our front room window. We were very, very lucky to live in such a beautiful place. Sharneyford was my childhood playground and I can tell you it was such a fantastic time with so many lovely memories.

[@rossendalecollieries7995]

Thanks Julie. Yes we had a good place to be brought up around Rossendale

[@juliescott2637]

@@rossendalecollieries7995You're more than welcome! And yeah, I absolutely loved growing up in Bacup, before I lived up Tod Road I lived in Russell Street (near The Irwell pub) I spent my childhood with the countryside around Bacup as my playground (very, very lucky) I can remember there being tracks on the ground just before Broadclough, and if my memory serves me right they used to be for transporting the coal. I could be wrong though.
I've also noticed that I've explained where locations are by using pubs lol

[@topgrafter2007]

Love your videos mate, I hike every weekend and I'm forever coming across old workings and have learnt alot from the information you include, hiked alot round todmorden recently including Hilltop so is great to watch your videos . Keep up the fantastic work!
Regards
Russ

[@briantaylor8366]

thanks clive. im famous now.burnley bill

[@rossendalecollieries7995]

You were always a legend Brian

[@toolmaker9411]

Great enthusiasm in the narative. What's not to like?

[@lucasbahn]

Back in the 1960’s my dad and my uncle worked at sandy road. I often went to the pit as a kid. Before the pit closed they started a coal delivery service around Bacup. My dad built the round so when the pit closed they offered my dad the round as redundancy pay. My uncle went to old meadows. My dad, later me, rented the land of Sharnyford Collery to use as our coal yard and garage until 1979. I spent my childhood playing around Sharneyford, and just lived 3 doors away from school, so no playing hooky for me, we’ll just did once and they sent the police to find me, but that’s another story.

[@rossendalecollieries7995]

Thanks for that, wish there were a few more photos of Sandy road. My gran used to get coal off a guy up Sharneyford in the 70's, he lived up by the toll bar, would that be you or somebody else....? Do you have any memories of the pit?

[@lucasbahn]

@@rossendalecollieries7995
There were 3 coal dealers up Sharnyford. Opposite the old toll house was Sid Young. He was not full time dealer as he also did tipper work, demolition and such. He moved to a farm up deerply and his name is still used as a demolition company, he will be in his 80’s now. We , B&M LUCAS was on the site of Sharnyford collery and the other was in the middle of the houses, Tommy Roark. He was also only a part time dealer as he did haulage and owned a pig farm.
I have lots of memories of Sandy Road, by day it was a pit road, but at night, it was lovers lane. My dad worked the boiler and winch before they started a coal round. Went down the second drift when it was first open, about 100 yards long at the time, I was about 9 at the time. I can remember the boiler and many other things about Sandy Road.

[@cliveseal1557]

Thanks. I know of Sid...he came up to Grimebridge doing some work when they modernised the drift.
If you are happy to put your memories into words it would be great to talk to you in person

[@lucasbahn]

@@cliveseal1557
I would be more than happy to tell you my memories but I do not live in the valley anymore. I live near Carlisle now and I do not visit Bacup. I can give you my email etc and we can do it that way or perhaps zoom. If ever you are In the Carlisle area there you are welcome, the kettle is always on.

[@cliveseal1557]

@@lucasbahn funnily enough I live in Lazonby between Penrith and Carlisle ...been up here since 1991

[@RaysonsExhaust]

The bus stop is there, as they used to use the pit as a turning circle for the buses. 😁👍 it'll be rossendale buses turning round before they got to the Yorkshire border.

[@anitasmith7320]

Really enjoy learning more about where I was brought up until we moved.

[@RaysonsExhaust]

Give us a shout next time pal, and i'll come for a mooch with ya. 😉👍

[@grahamchivrall30]

Fascinating stuff around where I used to live.
I heard tell, years ago, that on the Todmorden side a more recent mine broke into an old working. This working was full of equipment and tackle as if the mine was evacuated quickly and sealed. I wonder if there is any truith in it.
The local knowledge of these old miners is most impressive.

[@grahamchivrall30]

Joan Heap used to deliver my milk...Does anybody know about the Byrom Dye Company Company, offices were in a surviving building behind the Flowers pub?

[@davidkidd3975]

Brilliant

[@Katmando376]

I would love to visit these mines. Can you help please?