Coal Mining

On a recent wander I was able to have a peek into this coal shaft that was probably last used around 1850. Looks as if it is stone lined throughout rather than just down to the rock head. It's a long way down to the water!

Spoil tipping apparatus on the waste tips at the Sanjing coal mine, Meihekou. The tub is being wound up onto an end-over-end tippler at the top of the frame.

Today I decided to have a peek at the small synclinal coalfield at Goldsitch Moss, just over the Cheshire border and into Staffordshire - in the shadow of the Roaches. At least three seams from the lower coal measures have been worked here since at least the beginning of the fifteenth century until the last workings closed in the nineteenth century. The whole area is just a mass of old shafts and spoil heaps interspersed with gin circles and trackways. I doubt that there is much coal left after this intensity of working. This is one of the larger shaft remains which has run in at some time. My guess is that this one dates from the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century.

Shunting the coal washery at Banovici in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

In Ningxia Autonomous Region, west central China, the Yangchangwan coal mine opened in 2004.

Pitheadgear leads the troops into battle with the machines. Cutacre opencast mine, Little Hulton.

Work has now started on removing the Cutacre spoil tip which was once notable as the largest colliery tip in Europe.

According to the old maps this lonely house is called Sniddles. As far as I can tell it is associated with the coal mining industry in this remote upland area of Staffordshire. The raised area in front of the building is an old coal shaft, and there is another one behind the photographer. Almost certainly eighteenth century workings in this case.

I spent today walking around bits of Cheshire looking at coal mining remains. In the afternoon the weather improved considerably and the sun came out over the city. This view from the top park area of Poynton looks over Stockport to Manchester. In the foreground, under and just to the right of the pole are the surface remains of a mine that was probably worked in the 1630s.

SY 1601 is the yard pilot on a cold morning at the Jalainur washery.

Eighteenth century drainage sough serving colliery workings in north west England.

Originally closed in 1966 the Barnsley Main pit was reopened to transfer workers from the Barrow pit, which closed in 1985 owing to geological problems. It finally closed in 1991 and the headgear and engine house are now preserved in the 'care' of the local council.

The dirt tips of the Banovici washery are several kilometres from the mine over hilly terrain. The waste material is transported by this aerial ropeway, seen here about 2 kilometres from the mine.

The first tub of the morning is pushed from one of the adits at the Huangcunjin mine at Bagou.The coal will shortly be tipped into the bunkers for transfer to the railway to Shibanxi

William Clayton bought the Endon Estate at Kerridge after the termination of his lease of the Poynton Collieries in 1832. He subsequently built Endon Hall as his residence and developed coal mining in the area. He marketed the product as ' Swanscoe Sweet Seam Coal ' . Whilst the mines were quite small and insignificant compared to those at Poynton, Clayton still erected this grand ventilation chimney which could easily have graced a much larger venture. To ensure that everyone knew who was responsible his initials are picked out above the pseudo loophole overlooking the Cheshire Plain.

You wouldn't want to tangle with the rest of the beast upon which this is usually attached. This claw alone is about 3 metres high! Cutacre Opencast Mine, Little Hulton.

Typical small drift coal mining operation in North-east China. All was quiet on the site and when I went to the winding enginehouse I found the woman in charge fast asleep on a camp bed. She was amazed to see us but was happy to show us the electric winder.

The survival of the Aspen Colliery beehive coke ovens is remarkable considering that the pit closed in 1922 and the site is very accessible adjacent to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.