Was chatting to Albinojay about the eighties and about the miners and the strikes and how Thatcher killed the mining industry (and many others). We then got talking about Kellingly, it inspired me to dig my photos out. This was literally a last minute decision on the day. I was travelling to Scotland for my first visit and was meeting two mates who live local. One showed us Pilks in Doncaster, and after that we were pondering about one more thing to see. My mate suggested a colliery a few miles from his that had closed. So we decided on that, and took the drive to it. We made our way through the back to the coal wash, over what could be easily described as horrendous conditions. Coal sludge, mud and water don’t make a great combination. We done the coal wash first then made our way to the main building with the baths, canteen, shaft entry etc. We had a good look around but time was really getting on and I was already over the time to get to Scotland. So we called it a day and headed back out over the mud. So we missed the winding house and shaft entries, but was still a really enjoyable one and sadly not one I will see the like of again. Digging out my photos I noticed it was a stage of heavy contrast and high saturation photos for me, and very grainy. So tried to adjust some the best I can, but you get the grasp of the place. Because it supplied Ferrybridge power station with coal as well as Drax, it was the reason I wanted to see the power station at Ferrybridge as well for completion, and to see at least one coal powered station.
Kellingly colliery lovingly nicknamed the Big K was the last the last deep coal mine located in NorthYorkshire. Opened in 1965 the colliery consisted of two shafts, one for transporting men and equipment and the other for moving coal. The shafts were 800 feet deep and sat on one of the largest deep mines in Europe. The miners were involved in the miners strikes during the early eighties. Sadly one miner was killed after being hit by a lorry. A lot of the workers in the sixties came from Scotland after the rapid closure of the pits up there. At its peak Kellingly was employing 2000 workers, when the pit sadly shut in December 2015 with the loss of 450 miners jobs and the loss of the last deep mine in this country.
Starting off with the coal wash and prep plant used for washing the soil and crap of coal and grading it ready transporting.
The total mess that surrounds the site.
Bit of rivalry here with Wellbeck
looking over too the main block and winding house were we would be heading next.
Kellingly colliery lovingly nicknamed the Big K was the last the last deep coal mine located in NorthYorkshire. Opened in 1965 the colliery consisted of two shafts, one for transporting men and equipment and the other for moving coal. The shafts were 800 feet deep and sat on one of the largest deep mines in Europe. The miners were involved in the miners strikes during the early eighties. Sadly one miner was killed after being hit by a lorry. A lot of the workers in the sixties came from Scotland after the rapid closure of the pits up there. At its peak Kellingly was employing 2000 workers, when the pit sadly shut in December 2015 with the loss of 450 miners jobs and the loss of the last deep mine in this country.
Starting off with the coal wash and prep plant used for washing the soil and crap of coal and grading it ready transporting.
The total mess that surrounds the site.
Bit of rivalry here with Wellbeck
looking over too the main block and winding house were we would be heading next.
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