Does anyone know which colliery this is?

Photo taken by my Dad, I guess between 1950-55. He lived near Elsecar but I can't see any landmarks to identify this pit. Sadly he's no longer around for me to ask him.

 

Skiers Spring?????

Not sure though????

 

Collieries from that area could be Pilley, Hermit Hill, Skyers spring , blacker hill, there’s probably more but those ones I remember.

 

Looks like Skiers Spring I think:

 

I can tell you this Red Lion that it is not Dodworth, Redbrook or the Levey Tag.

 

Thanks for the suggestions and advice. Could be Skiers Spring. My Grandad worked there up until he retired.

 

Its not Skiers Spring my Dad worked there, it was a drift mine so no headgear. by the looks of the picture two headgears, boiler chimney coal prep plant on left and the depression at the front hiding the canal, I`m almost certain its Elsecar Main where I worked in the late 60`s

 

It's Elsecar according to this pic I've just found.

 

I think these images of Elsecar Main were on Twitter a while back. Looks like Wath Road in the background?

 

Cheers for that...shows where our house is before it was built

Lived in the area all my life but up Hoyland so my only experience of Elsecar was going through on the Elsecar Circular as a kid.

 

Thanks again. I think that confirm's it's Elsecar! Photo taken from almost exact same spot as the postcard. Great aerial photos btw.

 

Looking at those photos.... my goodness, did people used to work in places like that !!!
I was never a miner so can't really comment but it certainly looks a depressing site. Assume all pits were like that.

 

Pretty much Mr B, the workplace of heroes & legends.

 

Can see where your coming from but looks can be deceiving. Worked there (Elsecar)from 72 to 82. Enjoyed every minute of it. Mainly pit top/washer. Made many friends .Great comradery ( Dare I say even Hoylanders Being a Jumper ) Gutted when it closed.

 

That O/P photo has a Coke oven quench tower so that colliery must have had a coking oven.

 

Got to admit mate. I’m not sure it’s Elsecar but given when it was taken. It may have been transformed before I worked there. 2 winding gears (1 manriding Shaft and 1coal shaft) and a drift during my time. Not aware of any coking oven, as during my time that was done at manvers coking plant.

 

Yeh mate, a few pits had coking ovens but a lot shut down before the 50s, Houghton main had one, mi dad used to like watching them pushing ovens when he was a kid.

 

http://www.ipernity.com/doc/302581/44460452/in/album/337641

A good photo.

 

Quite certain Elsecar, chimney, shaft and water tower layouts look same in original photo and later colour aerial shots.
Also horizon in original photo looks like Wharncliffe Side.

 

While on the subject of pits. Can someone tell me why the pit at thurnscoe was called hickleton main despite being in thurnscoe?

Speaking of thurnscoe, the old shaft no1 is in the middle of the industrial estate and they are digging all the land up around the shaft. Where the shaft was there is the usual big stone above it, and theres a temporary 5 or 6 foot high fence been put around the shaft with a massive banner over it saying 'warning! Exclusion zone'. You can now see the concrete cap that is over the shaft from where they have been digging.

I've probably just wasted 30 seconds of your life reading that, however I find it very interesting. Wonder what they're doing to that part of the land? Surely they cant build anything over the shaft??? Can they?