Coal Mines in Leeds

[The Parksider]

Si wrote: I've a book somewhere which has an old picture of a backfilled bell-pit. It was in Leeds city centre and discovered when foundations were cut for a new building. The bell-pit is clearly visible in the section and is the exact shape of a hand bell! Yep - a brilliant photo.beats yet another of the Town Hall.

[The Parksider]

chameleon wrote: The Parksider wrote: Barwicker wrote: I believe that the subsidence mentioned above affecting Bullerthorpe Lane may have been caused by the workings of Temple Pit which was certainly in this area. The pits at Colton I understood to be mostly "Bell Pits", still possibly dangerous but less likely to cause that sort of subsidence. There were of course at least three deep mines at Garforth, all at one time owned by the Gascoigne family and when I lived in Crossgates many years ago the house was very close to what had been Brianside Colliery, somewhere in the triangle outlined by York Road, Crossgates Road & Crossgates Lane, again giving a reason for many road names. Brianside pit I think IS built over unlike other croggy collieries!!!Anyone manage an exact location - It's on Godfreys? Parksider - transfering the co-ordinates from the '34 Geology map to the '76 OS map does put the shaft where I suggested as shown below - to within a few feet.THANKS - isn't that brilliant - tracing the position of Brian Pit's main shaft. We may eventually trace one to UNDER a house!!!! that's be bad news for someone.Sandways pit in Manston is one I tried to look for and the area where it was was all built up. Maybe they just made sure just a road was built over the shafts - probably a concrete cap on the shaft first?It looks as though the area was purposely left when the houses were built, just a bit of road and a few garages. The house to the left is newly built - have to wonder if they know what they have as a neighbour!

[chameleon]

Parksider - I don't know Sandway Pit in Manston but looking at the magic (!) geology map there are some shafts noted around there.The one between Manston Way and Avenue is shown as Victoria Pit, the other two simply shown as shafts. Looking again since saving the piccy, I've seen a fourth, north of Sandbed Lane and west of The Avenue in the corner of the junction and sorry - non of these are under houses - I'll keep looking though!!

[grumpytramp]

The Parksider wrote: Super post and just over the road to your mum's work was Killingbeck Colliery!! Well as a matter of fact at the time we lived in Valley Drive, Halton so I can remember vaguely that when you on the train to Crossgates you could see the spoil heap or general remains of Killingbeck Colliery (? are there any remains still there)Infact that stirred another memory of the first coal I ever won ....... from a wee trial mine I started with my sand spade down the back of the garage, which was cut into the hill side with a revetment wall behind leaving about a 2' gap sufficient for me to prize a 3" coal from beneath a lump of sandstone ......... I have to admit though I got bored of mining very quickly and reverted to running aound the garden with box over my head (mmmmm the simple pleasures of infanthood in the days before TVs and Playstations!)

[The Parksider]

chameleon wrote: Parksider - I don't know Sandway Pit in Manston but looking at the magic (!) geology map there are some shafts noted around there.The one between Manston Way and Avenue is shown as Victoria Pit, the other two simply shown as shafts. Looking again since saving the piccy, I've seen a fourth, north of Sandbed Lane and west of The Avenue in the corner of the junction and sorry - non of these are under houses - I'll keep looking though!! More genius map superimpositions - thanks for that.G.C. Dickinson says in Victorian times there was a branch line from the railway up to the manston pits!! Up Church lane I assume.As you pass the end of austhorpe lane(?) along the dual carriageway down past Arndale and the Station, the row of low shops BEFORE the arndale were apparently once colliers houses.

[The Parksider]

grumpytramp wrote: The Parksider wrote: Super post and just over the road to your mum's work was Killingbeck Colliery!! Well as a matter of fact at the time we lived in Valley Drive, Halton so I can remember vaguely that when you on the train to Crossgates you could see the spoil heap or general remains of Killingbeck Colliery (? are there any remains still there)Infact that stirred another memory of the first coal I ever won ....... from a wee trial mine I started with my sand spade down the back of the garage, which was cut into the hill side with a revetment wall behind leaving about a 2' gap sufficient for me to prize a 3" coal from beneath a lump of sandstone ......... I have to admit though I got bored of mining very quickly and reverted to running aound the garden with box over my head (mmmmm the simple pleasures of infanthood in the days before TVs and Playstations!) Killingbeck left behind some spoil heaps but even they have gone.Down Osmondthorpe Lane by the railway is the rec, we once played a soccer match there. That was the site of osmondthorpe colliery. There was a tramway that hauled the coal up to York Road for distribution. It is now a ginnel cutting through the estate at an angle and following exactly the tramway line - dunno if the estate was built either side whilst the tramway was still being used.If you go on Leodis there's a couple of pics of halton Colliery and there seems to be no deep shaft and associated gear - it looks like they just ran an incline down into the ground - a bit like you - dig only so far and you hit the coal.My fave Dibnah episode was when he sank a coal shaft in his back garden - must have got the idea from thee lad!!

[peterg]

In the late 40's, before the Shute Estate was built of Appleyard's Hill, to get from Penda's Grove where I lived to Whitkirk Cricket Ground, I used to cycle up Appleyard's Hill and then cut across the fields to the Ring Road and then on to the field and I remember seeing coal remains in the middle of the fields, although I have no idea whether there was any mine near there.

[chameleon]

The Parksider wrote: chameleon wrote: Parksider - I don't know Sandway Pit in Manston but looking at the magic (!) geology map there are some shafts noted around there.The one between Manston Way and Avenue is shown as Victoria Pit, the other two simply shown as shafts. Looking again since saving the piccy, I've seen a fourth, north of Sandbed Lane and west of The Avenue in the corner of the junction and sorry - non of these are under houses - I'll keep looking though!! More genius map superimpositions - thanks for that.G.C. Dickinson says in Victorian times there was a branch line from the railway up to the manston pits!! Up Church lane I assume.As you pass the end of austhorpe lane(?) along the dual carriageway down past Arndale and the Station, the row of low shops BEFORE the arndale were apparently once colliers houses. I didn't know they were colliers cottages but it makes sense. If you look above the current day shop fronts, the old soffits and roofs are still vissible. They used to continue a fair way down Station Road but were mostly demolished to make way for the Arndale Centre, on was a Dentist's surgery I recall.Ive seen note on records somewhere that states all of the house in that area had been declared 'insanitary'!

[The Parksider]

peterg wrote: In the late 40's, before the Shute Estate was built of Appleyard's Hill, to get from Penda's Grove where I lived to Whitkirk Cricket Ground, I used to cycle up Appleyard's Hill and then cut across the fields to the Ring Road and then on to the field and I remember seeing coal remains in the middle of the fields, although I have no idea whether there was any mine near there. I'm lost here - Pendas Grove fair enough - but where is the shute estate and appleyard's hill, is the cricket ground south of the selby road where whitkirk wanderers play(ed)?

[peterg]

Appleyard's Hill is the hill on Austhorpe Lane (I think that's the name) which rises up towards Austhorpe Hall (known to us as Chapman's farm, from the name of the then owner). The Shute Estate was known from the name of the builder and is that estate which stretches from Austhorpe Lane to the Ring Road. Whitkirk Cricket ground was (or still is) located behind the extension to Whitkirk Cemetry somewhere on the stretch of Selby Road covered by the ends of Knightsway, Kingsway and Queensway.