Astley Green Colliery
Encyclopedia
Astley Green Colliery was a coal mine in Astley, Greater Manchester
, then in the historic county of Lancashire
, England. Sinking commenced in 1908 by the Pilkington Colliery Company, a subsidiary of the Clifton and Kersley Coal Company
, at the southern edge of the Manchester Coalfield
, working the Middle Coal Measures
where they
dipped under the Permian
era rocks under Chat Moss
. The colliery was north of the Bridgewater Canal
. In 1929 it became part of Manchester Collieries
, and in 1947 was nationalised and integrated into the National Coal Board
. It closed in 1970, and is now Astley Green Colliery Museum
.
. It accessed the coal seams of the Middle Coal Measures
laid down over 300 million years ago in the Carboniferous
period and overlain by Permo-Triassic
rocks. A 100 feet (30.5 m) layer of alluvial deposits
consisting of clay
, sand
, gravel
and marl
overlay the rock. The coal seams dipped at 1 to 4.5 towards the south. The Worsley Four Foot mine was reached at a depth of 722 feet (220.1 m) and the Arley mine at 3360 feet (1020 m).
at a time when demand for coal was high and in 1907 its subsidiary company sank a 24 inches (61 cm) bore hole at Astley Green, north of the Bridgewater Canal to investigate untapped reserves of the concealed coalfield. The company acquired the mineral rights for 700 acres (283.3 ha) of land under Chat Moss which stretched beyond the Liverpool and Manchester Railway
and where the coal seams dip at one in five towards the south. Shaft sinking commenced in 1908 and proved difficult because of water and quicksand. The company contracted Haniel and Lueg of Düsseldorf-Düsseltal
to sink the shaft. The Worsley Four Foot mine was reached in April 1910 and more water-bearing rock was anticipated before the Arley mine was reached. No 1 pit was sunk to 890 yards primarily to win coal from the Trencherbone mine and No 2 pit was 833 yards deep. The shaft was 23 feet in diameter. The Crombouke and Rams mines were intersected by the sinkings. Firedamp
was a problem in the new workings and ventilation
was a problem.
The headgear
of No.1 pit survives, it is made from wrought iron
lattice girders with riveted plates at the joints and one small and two large wheels mounted at the top. It is nearly 30 metres (98.4 ft) high and was built by Head Wrightson of Stockton-on-Tees
and completed by 1912.
In 1912 a twin tandem compound 3300 horsepower winding engine
built by Yates and Thom
of Blackburn, the largest ever used on the Lancashire Coalfield
, was installed at No 1 pit. The company built a smaller cross compound winding engine for No 2 pit, installed in 1919.
By about 1851, George Green had built a horse-drawn tramway linking Yew Tree Colliery
to the canal east of Astley Green. It was out of use by 1913, when the sidings and tipping plant were sold to the Clifton and Kersley Coal Company to be used by the new colliery.
In 1923 the colliery employed 1524 men underground and 436 surface workers; that number had increased to 1631 underground and 492 surface workers by 1933. At Nationalisation in 1947 the colliery employed 1375 below and 561 above ground. The surface workers included women, known as pit brow lasses, who sorted coal on the screens. Women were employed at Astley Green until the mid-1950s.
at the colliery on 7 June 1939, when there was an explosion of firedamp
. Men had been fighting an underground fire over a mile from the pit bottom. Despite the efforts of the mines rescue teams from Boothstown Mines Rescue Station
, who were driven back by further explosions, five men including the manager died.
Astley, Greater Manchester
Astley is a settlement within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan in Greater Manchester, England, variously described as a suburb or a village. Astley lies on flat land to the northwest of the city of Manchester, and is crossed by the Bridgewater Canal and the A580 "East Lancashire Road"...
, then in the historic county of Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England. Sinking commenced in 1908 by the Pilkington Colliery Company, a subsidiary of the Clifton and Kersley Coal Company
Clifton and Kersley Coal Company
The Clifton and Kersley Coal Company or Clifton and Kearsley Coal Company was a coal mining company that operated in Clifton and Kearsley in the Irwell Valley, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England. Its collieries exploited the coal mines of the middle coal measures in the Manchester...
, at the southern edge of the Manchester Coalfield
Manchester Coalfield
The Manchester Coalfield is part of the South East Lancashire Coalfield. Its coal seams were laid down in the Carboniferous period and some easily accessible seams were worked on a small scale from the Middle Ages and extensively from the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the early 19th...
, working the Middle Coal Measures
Coal Measures
The Coal Measures is a lithostratigraphical term for the coal-bearing part of the Upper Carboniferous System. It represents the remains of fluvio-deltaic sediment, and consists mainly of clastic rocks interstratified with the beds of coal...
where they
dipped under the Permian
Permian
The PermianThe term "Permian" was introduced into geology in 1841 by Sir Sir R. I. Murchison, president of the Geological Society of London, who identified typical strata in extensive Russian explorations undertaken with Edouard de Verneuil; Murchison asserted in 1841 that he named his "Permian...
era rocks under Chat Moss
Chat Moss
Chat Moss is a large area of peat bog that makes up 30 percent of the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It is north of the River Irwell, to the west of Manchester, and occupies an area of about...
. The colliery was north of the Bridgewater Canal
Bridgewater Canal
The Bridgewater Canal connects Runcorn, Manchester and Leigh, in North West England. It was commissioned by Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, to transport coal from his mines in Worsley to Manchester...
. In 1929 it became part of Manchester Collieries
Manchester Collieries
Manchester Collieries was a coal mining company formed in 1929 with headquarters at Walkdenfrom a group of independent companies operating on the Manchester Coalfield. The Mining Industry Act of 1926 attempted to stem the post-war decline in coal mining and encourage independent companies to merge...
, and in 1947 was nationalised and integrated into the National Coal Board
National Coal Board
The National Coal Board was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the mines on "vesting day", 1 January 1947...
. It closed in 1970, and is now Astley Green Colliery Museum
Astley Green Colliery Museum
The Astley Green Colliery Museum is a museum run by the Red Rose Steam Society in Astley near Tyldesley in Greater Manchester, England. Before becoming a museum, the site was a working colliery that produced coal from 1912 to 1970; it is now protected as a Scheduled Monument...
.
Geology
Astley Green is the southernmost colliery on the Manchester CoalfieldManchester Coalfield
The Manchester Coalfield is part of the South East Lancashire Coalfield. Its coal seams were laid down in the Carboniferous period and some easily accessible seams were worked on a small scale from the Middle Ages and extensively from the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the early 19th...
. It accessed the coal seams of the Middle Coal Measures
Coal Measures
The Coal Measures is a lithostratigraphical term for the coal-bearing part of the Upper Carboniferous System. It represents the remains of fluvio-deltaic sediment, and consists mainly of clastic rocks interstratified with the beds of coal...
laid down over 300 million years ago in the Carboniferous
Carboniferous
The Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Devonian Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Permian Period, about 299.0 ± 0.8 Mya . The name is derived from the Latin word for coal, carbo. Carboniferous means "coal-bearing"...
period and overlain by Permo-Triassic
Permian
The PermianThe term "Permian" was introduced into geology in 1841 by Sir Sir R. I. Murchison, president of the Geological Society of London, who identified typical strata in extensive Russian explorations undertaken with Edouard de Verneuil; Murchison asserted in 1841 that he named his "Permian...
rocks. A 100 feet (30.5 m) layer of alluvial deposits
Alluvium
Alluvium is loose, unconsolidated soil or sediments, eroded, deposited, and reshaped by water in some form in a non-marine setting. Alluvium is typically made up of a variety of materials, including fine particles of silt and clay and larger particles of sand and gravel...
consisting of clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
, sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
, gravel
Gravel
Gravel is composed of unconsolidated rock fragments that have a general particle size range and include size classes from granule- to boulder-sized fragments. Gravel can be sub-categorized into granule and cobble...
and marl
Marl
Marl or marlstone is a calcium carbonate or lime-rich mud or mudstone which contains variable amounts of clays and aragonite. Marl was originally an old term loosely applied to a variety of materials, most of which occur as loose, earthy deposits consisting chiefly of an intimate mixture of clay...
overlay the rock. The coal seams dipped at 1 to 4.5 towards the south. The Worsley Four Foot mine was reached at a depth of 722 feet (220.1 m) and the Arley mine at 3360 feet (1020 m).
History
The Clifton and Kearsley Company's coal reserves were becoming depleted in the Irwell ValleyIrwell Valley
The Irwell Valley extends from the Forest of Rossendale in North West England, through to the cities of Salford and Manchester. The River Irwell runs through the valley, along with the River Croal.-Geology:...
at a time when demand for coal was high and in 1907 its subsidiary company sank a 24 inches (61 cm) bore hole at Astley Green, north of the Bridgewater Canal to investigate untapped reserves of the concealed coalfield. The company acquired the mineral rights for 700 acres (283.3 ha) of land under Chat Moss which stretched beyond the Liverpool and Manchester Railway
Liverpool and Manchester Railway
The Liverpool and Manchester Railway was the world's first inter-city passenger railway in which all the trains were timetabled and were hauled for most of the distance solely by steam locomotives. The line opened on 15 September 1830 and ran between the cities of Liverpool and Manchester in North...
and where the coal seams dip at one in five towards the south. Shaft sinking commenced in 1908 and proved difficult because of water and quicksand. The company contracted Haniel and Lueg of Düsseldorf-Düsseltal
Düsseldorf-Düsseltal
Düsseltal is a borough of Düsseldorf with a fairly well-off population and developed around an old convent. It is also known as Düsseldorf-Zoo , because until 1943 there was a zoological garden in Düsseltal...
to sink the shaft. The Worsley Four Foot mine was reached in April 1910 and more water-bearing rock was anticipated before the Arley mine was reached. No 1 pit was sunk to 890 yards primarily to win coal from the Trencherbone mine and No 2 pit was 833 yards deep. The shaft was 23 feet in diameter. The Crombouke and Rams mines were intersected by the sinkings. Firedamp
Firedamp
Firedamp is a flammable gas found in coal mines. It is the name given to a number of flammable gases, especially methane. It is particularly commonly found in areas where the coal is bituminous...
was a problem in the new workings and ventilation
Underground mine ventilation
Underground mine ventilation provides a flow of air to the underground workings of a mine of sufficient volume to dilute and remove noxious gases . The source of these gases are equipment that runs on diesel engines, blasting with explosives, and the orebody itself...
was a problem.
The headgear
Headframe
A headframe is the structural frame above an underground mine shaft. Modern headframes are built out of steel, concrete or a combination of both...
of No.1 pit survives, it is made from wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
lattice girders with riveted plates at the joints and one small and two large wheels mounted at the top. It is nearly 30 metres (98.4 ft) high and was built by Head Wrightson of Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in north east England. It is the major settlement in the unitary authority and borough of Stockton-on-Tees. For ceremonial purposes, the borough is split between County Durham and North Yorkshire as it also incorporates a number of smaller towns including...
and completed by 1912.
In 1912 a twin tandem compound 3300 horsepower winding engine
Winding engine
A winding engine is a stationary engine used to control a cable, for example to power a mining hoist at a pit head. Electric hoist controllers have replaced proper winding engines in modern mining, but use electric motors that are also traditionally referred to as winding engines.Most proper...
built by Yates and Thom
Yates and Thom
Yates & Thom Ltd, or Yates of Blackburn, was a British manufacturer of stationary steam engines and boilers at the Canal Ironworks, Blackburn, Lancashire, England.The company had its origins in a blacksmith's shop started by William Yates in 1824....
of Blackburn, the largest ever used on the Lancashire Coalfield
Lancashire Coalfield
The Lancashire Coalfield in north-west England was one of the most important British coalfields.-Geography and geology:The geology of the coalfield consists of the coal seams of the Upper, Middle and Lower Coal Measures, layers of sandstones, shales and coal of varying thickness, which were laid...
, was installed at No 1 pit. The company built a smaller cross compound winding engine for No 2 pit, installed in 1919.
By about 1851, George Green had built a horse-drawn tramway linking Yew Tree Colliery
Tyldesley Coal Company
Tyldesley Coal Company was a coal mining company formed in 1870 in Tyldesley, on the Manchester Coalfield in the historic county of Lancashire, England that had its origins in Yew Tree Colliery, the location for a mining disaster that killed 25 men and boys in 1858.-History:Yew Tree Farm covered...
to the canal east of Astley Green. It was out of use by 1913, when the sidings and tipping plant were sold to the Clifton and Kersley Coal Company to be used by the new colliery.
In 1923 the colliery employed 1524 men underground and 436 surface workers; that number had increased to 1631 underground and 492 surface workers by 1933. At Nationalisation in 1947 the colliery employed 1375 below and 561 above ground. The surface workers included women, known as pit brow lasses, who sorted coal on the screens. Women were employed at Astley Green until the mid-1950s.
Incident
There was a mining accidentMining accident
A mining accident is an accident that occurs during the process of mining minerals.Thousands of miners die from mining accidents each year, especially in the processes of coal mining and hard rock mining...
at the colliery on 7 June 1939, when there was an explosion of firedamp
Firedamp
Firedamp is a flammable gas found in coal mines. It is the name given to a number of flammable gases, especially methane. It is particularly commonly found in areas where the coal is bituminous...
. Men had been fighting an underground fire over a mile from the pit bottom. Despite the efforts of the mines rescue teams from Boothstown Mines Rescue Station
Boothstown Mines Rescue Station
Boothstown Mines Rescue Station which served the collieries of the Lancashire and Cheshire Coal Owners on the Lancashire Coalfield opened in November 1933 on a site in Boothstown, close to the East Lancashire Road...
, who were driven back by further explosions, five men including the manager died.