Coal Mines in Leeds

The Parksider · Post by **The Parksider** » Tue 29 Jan, 2008 10:45 pm

peterg wrote: In the late 40's there was an area off the Selby Road known as Three Wells Wood. I can't remember exactly where it was, but I assume the three shafts must have been related with a mine. Can anyone enlighten me on the matter? I got your last question wrong with the genius that is Chameleon answering more accurately, but I will have another stab!!Off Selby Road leaving Leeds is Barrowby Lane at the end is a wood that was the site of the west Yorkshire Colliery. When the colliery was sunk I don't think there were trees there - nothing is shown on the 1854 may. By 1893 the map shows a wood on the abandoned colliery. Brown Moor Colliery appears as a wood after abandonment.Strangely Prince Arthur pit has some tall mautre trees on the site today as does Mary Pit.How on earth pits became Woods in some cases i don't know???The 1854 map is interesting as it shows a railway running up church Lane manston to the colliery, and both West Yorkshire and Brown Moor had railways running the coal to main line.Miggy Railway wasn't the only colliery railway in Leeds - and of course Gipton pit had a railway and Busk pit in wortley rec has a railway - the track bed was still showing a few years ago.....

rikj · Post by **rikj** » Tue 29 Jan, 2008 10:51 pm

The Seacroft pits are mentioned in "The Aberford Railway" book, as from memory, they were bought and sold by the same owners as the Garforth collieries.There are quite a few remains around Barnbow, though I think the ROF and colliery shared the same site in different times. So it's a bit difficult with hindsight to say whether the remains are arms or coal related.

The Parksider · Post by **The Parksider** » Wed 30 Jan, 2008 9:16 am

rikj wrote: The Seacroft pits are mentioned in "The Aberford Railway" book, as from memory, they were bought and sold by the same owners as the Garforth collieries.There are quite a few remains around Barnbow, though I think the ROF and colliery shared the same site in different times. So it's a bit difficult with hindsight to say whether the remains are arms or coal related. The spoil heap well down Manston Lane and not on the Barnbow Factory site but on Barnbow Common looks like mine spoil that can be seen on other like spoil heaps - I once visited in person.Old Manston Colliery is east of the Barnbow Factory and east further still is Barnbow common. I suggest the Arms Factory is actually in Manston so maybe Barnbow colliery was as I say on the common - BUT it should show on maps as a mine but doesn't? Don't forget to warn me when that book goes back. Does it give any idea where the Seacroft Colliery is - I can find nothing on maps.Arguably Brianside Pit is well more in Seacroft than Crossgates?? It's very near the end of seacroft Village and opposite Seacroft Hall and Park. Crossgates Lane runs behind but as the name indicates it's a lane TO crossgates and not In crossgates A la Wetherby road is leeds road in wetherby and so on. In the absence of an answer that could be it??????. I feel Park pit is harehills colliery as an example. If there was a seacroft colliery in 1880 onwards it should show on the 1890's maps.The Foundry on Foundry Lane was an area I felt could have had a mine sunk for coal power, but nothing shows, however south parkway is known as "Iron Hills" and ironstone was mined alongside fireclay and coal, it being recorded ironstone being mined in Roundhay Park.So Rik, any more indications in the book??

Post by **chameleon** » Wed 30 Jan, 2008 12:09 pm

chameleon wrote: There are so many features showing o Google Earth which could be of interest - just wish I could interpret them for what they really are!There is another rough area depicted on the OS maps which may have een a spoil heap above the NW corner of the present sports ground to the right of Shippen House farm with an interesting blob or two seen on google - wonder if this was the site of a pit head too?Some years ago now, during a very hot dry summer, there was quite a fire in the woods to the north which took hold underground and burned for ages. Could this have spread through the old shallow workings?At that point,Barnbow lane was closed I recall for safety and Though I've not been along there for some time, I suspect (as many of these tracks now are) that it remains gated.Shallow workings seem to be as frequent as the deep mines around East Leeds. During the construction of the new York Road and roundabout between the Melbourne and Seacroft, there was quite a collection of old track and and even trucks brought out from the excavations. Come across another map! This shows a second shaft about two miles due east of the Barnbow/Lazencroft site simply maked, Collieries. Another half mile east, there are three more again running about half mile apart in a northerly direction marked respectively, East Garforth, Hawk's Nest Wood and Parlington Hollings.Thereafter, save for Peckfield, activity to the North and East vissibley peters out dramatically with a change in the underlying geology.

yorky55 · Post by **yorky55** » Thu 31 Jan, 2008 5:23 pm

grumpytramp wrote: Following on I have in my possesion a copy of the Colliery Guardian's Guide to the Coalfields 1967. It is interesting to note the collieries still operating then in the city and its immediate environs:GOMERSAL COLLIERY - Gomersal, Nr LeedsWorking Beeston and Blocking coalsEmploying 298 men underground & 70 men surfaceLEDSTON LUCK COLLIERY - Kippax, Nr LeedsWorking Middleton Little, Silkstone and Flockton Thick coalsEmploying 275 men undergound and 115 men surfaceLOFTHOUSE COLLIERY - Outwood, Nr WakefieldWorking Flockton and Eleven Yards coalsEmploying 764 men undergound and 210 men surfaceMIDDLETON BROOM COLLIERY - Middleton, Leeds 10Working Black Bed coalEmploying 387 men undergound and 91 men surfacePECKFIELD COLLIERY - Micklefield, Nr LeedsWorking Beeston coalEmploying 337 men undergound and 91 men surfacePRIMROSE HILL COLLIERY - Woodlesford, Nr LeedsWorking Middleton Little, Silkstone and Eleven Yard coalsEmploying 607 men undergound and 222 men surfaceROTHWELL COLLIERY - Rothwell, Nr. LeedsWorking Eleven Yards and Furnace coalsEmploying 679 men undergound and 144 men surfaceSAVILLE COLLIERY - Methley, Nr LeedsWorking Flockton (Firthfield) coalEmploying 273 men undergound and 119 men surfaceSHAW CROSS COLLIERY - DewsburyWorking Eleven Yards, Wheatley Lime and Beeston coalsEmploying 452 men undergound and 150 men surfaceTHORNHILL COLLIERY - Thornhill, Nr DewsburyWorking Wheatley Lime, Silkstone and Beeston CoalsEmploying 413 men undergound and 73 men surfaceWATERLOO MAIN COLLIERY - Temple Newsam, HaltonWorking Silkstone, Middleton Little and Black Bed coalsEmploying 276 men undergound and 123 men surface.A few notes of trivia .......... when Rothwell Colliery closed in 1983 it was the oldest working colliery in the UK (with a history that could be traced to the the 18th Century ......... DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY LINKS REGARDING THE COLLIERIES HISTORY?) and Waterloo Main Colliery's most famous Bevin Boy was the city's Sir Jimmy Saville (I vaguely remember reading his amusing and slighly odd autobiography 'Love is an Uphill Thing' where he recalls working underground stark bollock naked, cleaning himself carefully underground before emerging dressed to the nines at the end of the shift to head into town to run a dance ......... or something like that) primrose was in SWILLINGTON not WOODLESFORD..the pit at woodlesford was named water haigh, rothwell was known colloquially as fanny pit there was another pit at methley near saville named newmarket

Barwicker · Post by **Barwicker** » Thu 31 Jan, 2008 9:10 pm

From the map in Mr Hudson's book it appears that the colliery on the site of the WW2 ROFactory was called Manston Lodge Coliery. Manston Old Colliery was on the south side of the railway very close to the present Manston Pedestrian Crossing. Barnbow Colliery was a distance further east closer to Garforth than the WW1 Munitions Factory and then there was Clapham Pit somewhere to the south of Garforth Golf Course, possibly under the M1 now.Garforth Colliery was more or less opposite the present Golf Club house and the other main collieries in Garforth were called Sisters, Isabella & Lily although there would appear to have been another one called Garforth Moor Colliery somewhere near the present junction of Main Street & Church Lane.The map also shows a railway line/ wagonway leading from the sidings at the pit in the present Arndale carpark northwards to first the Old George pit, presumably somewhere along Church Lane, Crossgates and then on to both Victoria pit & Sandbeds pit.I think the main reason for the many shallow Bell pits is the fact that main so called Barnsley Seam of coal outcrops in this area and Immediately the geology changes.There is mention of Seacroft Colliery in the book but sadly Mr Hudson does not seem to have been able to locate it exactly. As stated it did belong at one time to the Gascoigne Family, the owners of the Garforth Collieries.

Barwicker · Post by **Barwicker** » Thu 31 Jan, 2008 9:16 pm

I have mentioned on another thread that I own a copy of Mr Hudson's book on "The Aberford Railway and the History of the Garforth Collieries" If and when a date is settled for the SL gettogether I could probably be persuaded to attend, bringing the book with me, and if Parksider has still not got his hands on the Library Copy he might like to borrow mine.At least carrying the book I should be recognisable.

Post by **chameleon** » Thu 31 Jan, 2008 9:30 pm

Barwicker, I'm rather intrigued by the rail track to the Church Lane Pit (Identifed earlier in thread) and can't see any trace of it on any of the older maps, coyuld you describe the route in relation to the present streets/ buildings for me?

Barwicker · Post by **Barwicker** » Thu 31 Jan, 2008 9:56 pm

Mr Hudson's sketch map is devoid of modern roads but I would hazard a guess that its probable route was roughly along one side of the present Church Lane, turning right towards Sandbeds pit close to Manston Church and also left towards Victoria Pit which I can only assume was close to the present Ring Road/Manston Drive junction. A quick read of the appropriate appendix in the book yields the following: " The OS 1845/47 shows a waggonway to this pit (Crossgates) and another with branches to Sandbeds pit 367352 and to Victoria pit 363352. Church Lane follows the the line of this wagonway as far as Manston Church"Although it is not stated above the second waggon way joins the first at a junction somwhere close to the present gas holders behind the Arndale Centre ( I really must get used to calling it the Crossgates Centre)The Appendix also offers the opinion that Seacroft Colliery was "probably in the area 357353"I hope that helps.

Post by **chameleon** » Thu 31 Jan, 2008 11:18 pm

Yes it does thank you, I can visualise the course but so much has changed there over the last 100 years (more than once!) I doubt there will be any remnants left to identify it.