The Price Of Coal (1977)

Filming took place at Smithy Wood Drift which was based at the old Norfolk Pit at Thorpe Hesley just off Wentworth Road. Men and materials went underground there and my Dad was training officer there when the colliery closed. Before the surface buildings were demolished the film crew moved in. Dad once told me that his old office was used for some of the film scenes.

 

To be honest mate. Never heard it called smithy wood drift. There we that many names in that area. Skiers spring colliery and on same site drift. (Aka. Lidgett colliery ) Smithy Wood coking. plant.found this amusing LEEDS

 

The coking plant and the original Smithy Wood Colliery were on the Chapeltown (SHEFFIELD ) side of the M1. Men and materials though were going underground at Thorpe Hesley by the late 60's. I think the pit closed in '72. The Smithy Wood offices were just off Wentworth Road and the old Thorpe Hesley pit was part of the same complex.

 

Know where the coking plant was mate. So assume you mean skiers spring and smithy wood collieries were not the same . Skiers being in Smithy wood Rotherham side of M1. bordered by Hoyland common Elsecar/Hoyland Off Broadcar road. Harley probably the nearest populated village.
Everyday is a schoolday as they say.
I started at elsecar in 72 and remember a colleague transferring over from Skiers a short while later. But would have thought 74/75ish unless as a surface electrician he stopped to put the lid on it so to speak.

 

John Prescott as a labour MP got together with the HSE and the mining and quarrying industry and came up with whats become our bible The Mines and Quarries Regulations 1999 because far too many were being killed and injured. Folk moan about health and safety but when done well its there for good reason. There are still deaths in our industry but sadly they're mostly down to folk not following procedure rather than safety measures not being in place. The trick now is to understand why they don't do the things they've been asked to do to keep them safe.

 

Thousands broke the mines and quarries act in pit years gone by .
Riding non man riding belts or jumping on a tub taking materials to face etc .
Sadly there were a few accidents and fatalities as a consequence .
I was once told when I was underground training that if you followed the rules of the mines and quarries act to the letter there wouldn’t be a cobble of coal got out of the mine .
That was obviously exaggerated but it certainly would’ve affected production .

 

I thought the film made Barnsley people look like numpties and that accent is atrocious and I speak as someone who has the same accent.

 

I’d say you’re not really comfortable in your own skin tbh .

 

The story about the grass being painted green is absolutely factual...I saw it around the time of the visit.

 

One of the most tragic but less known pit disasters was at the Huskar Pit at Nab's Wood Silkstone in 1838, when 26 children (the youngest aged 7) were drowned because of a flash flood and the pump failure. The only positive from this tragedy is it was an influencing factor of the 1842 Mines Act which raised the minimum age of kids working in mines to 10. The memorial in Nab's Wood is well worth a visit for those interested in local history, it's quite poignant. The two of the youngest kids killed were the great great uncle of the singer and writer of the song "I saw a Light" by the Band 'Broken Flowers' which is a eulogy to those poor kids.

 

Prior to the Huskar Pit disaster of 1838 at Silkstone, in 1821 at Norcroft on the road between Silkstone and Cawthorne 11 lost there lives the youngest being 8 years old.

 

I thought it made Barnsley people look like hard working, family orientated, humorous, stoical, protective, supportive backbones of the working classes engaged in the most dangerous occupation imaginable.
The accent is atrocious to outsiders, and is also my accent, but I would never swap the way I speak and in fact am very much proud of it.
All each to their own perceptions I guess, but I am a very proud product of Barnsley and it's harsh environments
You just don't get this class of people anywhere else

 

That bit in the first part where they are trying to line the cart up so the prince could get straight off it.. PMSL. Just a yard forward..classic.

 

There was something humorous everyday with lads at pit .
Choose what mood you were in somebody said or did something to make you laugh out loud .
It was dark humour most time but that was nature of the conditions .
Really missed a lot of my workmates but not the conditions .