Middleton Park & coal mining - guided walks and new book

[grumpytramp]

This should be of interest, particularly to Secret Leeds coal enthusiasts: Quote: National Archaeology WeekEvent at Middleton Park, Leeds (Lakeside Centre) July 20th 2008, 10.00 am - 4.00 pmFor two winters a community archaeology project has been investigating the remains of historic coal mining in Middleton Park. The park contains over 270 mine shafts, with at least six different styles of mining present. A number of shafts were worked using cog and rung horse gins and evidence has been recorded of a steam engine from 1814. The park also contains significant sections of an early railway or waggonway system developed from 1758. As part of National Archaeology Week a series of guided walks will be led by the project archaeologist on July 20th. There will also be an exhibition of the projects results and the chance to buy a copy of a new publication detailing the work. Further details on the Friends of Middleton Park website @ www.fomp.co.uk The website is very highly recommended.Sadly being hundreds of miles away this won’t be for me ………… but the good people at the Friends of Middleton Park have come up trumps: Quote: FoMP Publish book about Coal Mining in Middleton Park...Launched to coincide with National Archaeology Week 2008 (July 12th-20th) the Friends of Middleton Park (FoMP) is delighted to announce the publication of a new book, which highlights the park as an area of major historic significance.Coal Mining in Middleton Park: An Archaeological Investigation by the Middleton Park Community Archaeological Survey Project details the findings of the lottery-funded, community project, and demonstrates that Middleton Park is one of the best preserved and most important historic coal-mining landscapes in West Yorkshire.The project, carried out by volunteers under the watch of a professional expert in industrial archaeology, spent two winters mapping the presence and type of mine-shafts and industrial features across Middleton Park.It found a wide range of features associated with different styles of coal mining from the 17th to the 19th Century, with over 270 shaft mounds ranging from small areas of shallow mining to deep shafts operated by horse and steam powered engines.In addition, more than two kilometres of waggonway within the park has been identified, which were developed from 1758 to take coal from Middleton to Leeds. These played an important part the development of railways across the world and most of routes recorded were previously unknown.This project was funded by the National LotteryBook detailsISBN 978-0-9559477-0-4 Format A4, 50pp, 26 Full colour figuresRetail price £9.95 plus p&pOrder direct from the Friends of Middleton Park, Tenants Hall, Acre Close, Middleton, Leeds, LS10 4HX. For further details contact:Gayle Graham 0113 2706903 extension 23, mobile 07914 729051 or email: [email protected]

[grumpytramp]

Just noticed on their website a fantastic interim report on the parks archaeology:http://www.fomp.co.uk/downloads/survey/ ... report.pdf

[Loiner in Cyprus]

[quotenick="grumpytramp"]Just noticed on their website a fantastic interim report on the parks archaeology:http://www.fomp.co.uk/downloads/survey/ ... report.pdf [/Thanks for the info. As an Ex Middleton Broom miner I found the report extremely interesting. When I worked at Miggy we were working the Black Bed seam. As a fitter I used to occasionally visit the New pit which was a pumping shaft for the Broom workings. If my memory serves me right, there were pumps at the black bed level and Beeston. When we went underground at the New pit there was no one underground e.g. an onsetter at the pit bottom to signal when the cage was at the correct level. We carried a circular 12" diameter piece of mild steel. When we were at the required level, either the Black bad or the Beeston, we hit the piece of steel with a hammer. The guy at the top of the shaft, the banksman, hit another piece of metal and the winder would stop the cage. Coming back to the surface we used the same signalling devices, but a different number of hits, i.e. 2 hits to ascend. 60s technology!!! ]