Hi all...
My second post and my favourite explore to date... Clipstone Colliery.
I really wanted to see it before it gets demolished now that permission has been granted so after a recce last week I found myself wondering through a wildlife park at 5am in complete darkness by myself. Its a twenty minute walk but worth it as it brings you out behind the site and out of view. After another thirty minutes circling the fence I gave up looking for a simple way in and went the noisy overt route and ripped the arse out of my jeans!
Then it was just a matter of hanging around inside for two hours until dawn finally broke. I can tell you on your own in that place, in the pitch black every noise is amplified a thousand times and it was not long before my imagination was turning every bird flapping its wings into poltergeist ghosts of miners coming to get
me.... never been so pleased to see the sun haha!
Sorry if the pictures are a bit noisy... the light was really bad inside so I was shooting on ISO 3200! Then just as the sun started to rise I was disturbed by two very dodgy looking noisy blokes with tool boxes so I made a sharp exit... still got a few decent shots and had the place to myself for four hours and really enjoyed myself exploring... big machinery is very much my thing and I can't wait to go back again very soon.
History:
Clipstone Colliery is a coal mine situated near the village of the same name on the edge of an area of Nottinghamshire known as “The Dukeries†because of the number of stately homes in the area. The colliery was owned by the Bolsover Colliery Company and passed to the National Coal Board in 1947.
The colliery was sunk to exploit the Barnsley seam or “Tophardâ€, as it known locally. In the 1950s the shafts were deepened to over 1000 yards (920 m) to exploit other seams.
The colliery was closed by British Coal, as the National Coal Board had become, in 1993 and reopened by RJB Mining (now UK Coal) in April 1994, the licence to dig for coal being limited to the Yard seam which is located at a depth of 957 yards (870 m). The colliery was finally closed in April 2003.
The headstocks of the colliery are regarded as the tallest in Europe and the third tallest in the world. They are Grade 2 Listed structures and can be seen all over the district. They are expensive to keep in good repair and there have been a number of appeals, as yet to no avail, to demolish them. But however the clipstone headstocks are nearly demolished now and no one knows what will happen in the future.
It was pitch black when I arrived so once it I had to wait around for two hours until dawn broke
Finaly daylight arrived banishing the ghosts of dead miners I my imagination had kindly cunjoured up!
My first look was around No.1 winder
Then a mooch around number two:
Followed by a genral wander around all the buildings and into the power room behind
A finaly a little hardcore NCB man on man action... mmmmmm
At this point I was disturbed by two blokes who looked like they were ont he hunt for metal... hardly covert having lobbed ametal tool tin over the fence.... so I scarpered out the building and made my escape... just as the decent light had arrived... ARGHH!
Just time for one last look at the headstock and a fleeting shot as I ran accross the field
Thanks for looking... I'd appreciate any feedback.
Shatners/Mat
My second post and my favourite explore to date... Clipstone Colliery.
I really wanted to see it before it gets demolished now that permission has been granted so after a recce last week I found myself wondering through a wildlife park at 5am in complete darkness by myself. Its a twenty minute walk but worth it as it brings you out behind the site and out of view. After another thirty minutes circling the fence I gave up looking for a simple way in and went the noisy overt route and ripped the arse out of my jeans!
Then it was just a matter of hanging around inside for two hours until dawn finally broke. I can tell you on your own in that place, in the pitch black every noise is amplified a thousand times and it was not long before my imagination was turning every bird flapping its wings into poltergeist ghosts of miners coming to get
me.... never been so pleased to see the sun haha!
Sorry if the pictures are a bit noisy... the light was really bad inside so I was shooting on ISO 3200! Then just as the sun started to rise I was disturbed by two very dodgy looking noisy blokes with tool boxes so I made a sharp exit... still got a few decent shots and had the place to myself for four hours and really enjoyed myself exploring... big machinery is very much my thing and I can't wait to go back again very soon.
History:
Clipstone Colliery is a coal mine situated near the village of the same name on the edge of an area of Nottinghamshire known as “The Dukeries†because of the number of stately homes in the area. The colliery was owned by the Bolsover Colliery Company and passed to the National Coal Board in 1947.
The colliery was sunk to exploit the Barnsley seam or “Tophardâ€, as it known locally. In the 1950s the shafts were deepened to over 1000 yards (920 m) to exploit other seams.
The colliery was closed by British Coal, as the National Coal Board had become, in 1993 and reopened by RJB Mining (now UK Coal) in April 1994, the licence to dig for coal being limited to the Yard seam which is located at a depth of 957 yards (870 m). The colliery was finally closed in April 2003.
The headstocks of the colliery are regarded as the tallest in Europe and the third tallest in the world. They are Grade 2 Listed structures and can be seen all over the district. They are expensive to keep in good repair and there have been a number of appeals, as yet to no avail, to demolish them. But however the clipstone headstocks are nearly demolished now and no one knows what will happen in the future.
It was pitch black when I arrived so once it I had to wait around for two hours until dawn broke
Finaly daylight arrived banishing the ghosts of dead miners I my imagination had kindly cunjoured up!
My first look was around No.1 winder
Then a mooch around number two:
Followed by a genral wander around all the buildings and into the power room behind
A finaly a little hardcore NCB man on man action... mmmmmm
At this point I was disturbed by two blokes who looked like they were ont he hunt for metal... hardly covert having lobbed ametal tool tin over the fence.... so I scarpered out the building and made my escape... just as the decent light had arrived... ARGHH!
Just time for one last look at the headstock and a fleeting shot as I ran accross the field
Thanks for looking... I'd appreciate any feedback.
Shatners/Mat
