Pleasley Colliery No.2 South Shaft interior 2

An interior view looking up into the No.2 South shaft at Pleasley Colliery. This was formerly the upcast shaft where air and mine gases were drawn up the shaft by the ventilation fan from the mine workings below. The shaft sides were encased by a concrete and brick structure in order to stop outside air from short-circuiting the ventilation system. Entry to the shaft area was via a pair of air-lock doors.

The two holes in the roof are where the winding ropes used to come through. The notched steel rails on each side form part of the cage arrestor mechanism to capture the cage and stop it falling back down the shaft in the event of an over-wind.

Pleasley Colliery is situated just inside the Derbyshire border, about 5.5 km from the centre of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. It is now a mining museum which is steadily being developed.

www.pleasleypittrust.org.uk