So here is Part 3 of the remaining Headstocks in the UK! Slight change of plan, this is now going to be four parts, as the last report is simply too big to post as one. Scotland first, as I need to research a couple of last minute Yorkshire additions for Northern England.
Previous parts can be found here;
Part 1 - Here
Part 2 - Here
Going to start this one off with a correction each from Part 1 and 2, as I unfortunately missed them.
Derbyshire
Thanks to @alex17595 for pointing me to the location for this very elusive Headframe. I was looking around the wrong area, and wasted over an hour scouring the hillside around the wrong quarry to no avail. Did find a solitary chimney at least. Had I not been lazy and taken the other path back to the car, rather than the same (shorter) route I walked up, I'd have walked right past it on the first attempt. Unfortunately the cage is no longer standing.
History is very thin with this one, I've only been able to find one source for it. The shaft was sunk to a depth of 80 feet, being worked as part of the very profitable Gregory Lead Mine, with the earliest known workings dating back to the 17th Century. The mine was at its most profitable in the 18th Century, but suffered from severe flooding and geological issues, which resulted in it's closure in 1806. The mine was leased from Sir Joseph Banks, who owned the nearby Overton Hall, who once sailed with Captain Cook.
The old winding engine -
Like many disused Lead mines, it was later reopened for the extraction of Fluorspar. This was done by a private venture in the 1960s, who erected the Headgear and cage that remains today. Little work was required to extract the spa, as it had mostly been discarded by the previous Lead miners as waste.
Cornwall
This Tin & Copper mine was mostly worked between 1845-76, producing large quantities of Copper and Black Tin. There were multiple shafts dotted around to access the Sett, with the remaining Headframe situated over the East Shaft. It continued being worked intermittently into the C20th, with the mine being merged with Wheal Grenville in 1906, forming the Grenville United Mines.
In 1920 the Wheal Grenville mine closed, resulting in the King Edward Mine adjacent to it flooding due to the cessation of pumping. This left the Camborne School of Mines without a mine to train, so they moved to the shallow workings in the nearby Landower Lode. The Vivian Shaft (formerly East Shaft) and another small shaft were opened down to a depth of around 100 feet, with a small level being established in the old workings.
The Headframe was designed by Head Wrightson & Co. Ltd of Thornaby-on-Tees in 1936, and was built by a local company, the Holman Bros. of Camborne. It was erected over the Vivian Shaft by the staff and students of the King Edward Mine, and is unique, because it is the only known surviving Headframe built solely for training purposes. It is Grade II Listed, due to this, and because it's a rare example of the smaller style of Headframe that's in very good condition.
Scotland
Barony Colliery
Work to open a colliery at Barony was started by William Baird & Co. in order to supply the nearby Lugar Ironworks with coal. Sinking began in 1906, with two shafts being sunk, the No.1 and No.2 Pits. The shafts were completed by 1912, having been sunk to a depth of 2,054 feet, with the first coal being raised the same year. It was the deepest colliery in Scotland.
The Baird Company owned three other pits around Ayrshire, and were heavily focused on their interests in the Iron Industry. The industry suffered a massive downturn in the 1920s, so the company switched their focus primarily to coal production. They merged with the Dalmellington Iron Company in 1931, forming Baird's & Dalmellington Ltd. and retained ownership of Barony until nationalisation in 1947.
Work to sink a third shaft began in 1938 in order to increase coal output from 1,500 tons per day to 2,500 tons. The outbreak of WW2 stopped work however, so the shaft wasn't completed until 1950. It was sunk to a depth of 2,044 feet.
The colliery underwent a modernisation program after nationalisation, with the A Frame headstock that remains in situ being erected over the No.3 Shaft in 1954. It was built to a German design, and was one of only two built in the country. It contains two sets of winding gear, one to raise coal, and one to transport the men, using 4 cages to do this.
A power station was added in 1957, generating electricity from the slurry left over from the coal washing process.
There was a disaster on 8th November 1962, where the No.2 Pit collapsed in on itself, entombing 4 men. The headstock fell into the shaft on 14 November blocking the shaft, preventing any rescue attempts.
The No.1 Pit had to be infilled in order to ensure the survival of the surface buildings and The No.3 Pit. The colliery couldn't operate without a ventilation shaft, so work to sink a new shaft to a depth of 1,672 feet began in 1965. Work was complete and production resumed by 1966. The No.3 shaft was subsequently used as the downcast, and the new No.4 shaft was used as the upcast shaft.
The power station closed in 1983, being demolished to make way for a factory, and the colliery followed in 1989, with the site quickly being cleared, except the Headframe, which was given Grade B listed status in 1990. It is the last of it's type in Britain.
Old Farme Colliery Headframe (Summerlee)
Unfortunately information on this colliery is very thin on the ground, with the majority of information focusing around its rare winding engine. I believe the Headframe to be original, but I'm not sure, especially as it's wooden. It had a very uncommon design for it's winding engine, using a Newcomen Engine in a rotative rather than vertical form. From what I can find, there are only three of this type left in the world, and the one at Summerlee is the only one in Europe, having originated from Old Farme Colliery.
The engine was built in 1810, and was the colliery's first, being used for both winding and pumping of the pit. It pumped water from a depth of 138 feet, but was later replaced with another Newcomen Engine that was considerably larger and dedicated to pumping in 1820. The colliery was the oldest operating in Lanarkshire, and finally closed on the 17th July 1931.
The Newcomen Engine was taken out of service and gifted to the City of Glasgow Corporation for the Kelvingrove Museum of Victorian Industry in 1915, with every component being carefully measured and drawn. This museum never opened however, so the engine remained in storage until it made its way to the Summerlee Museum.
The other two that remain in existence were both English, and were purchased by Henry Ford in 1928 for his museum. He wanted to purchase the Farme engine, but abandoned the idea when it fell into the CoGC hands.
It has been on what's essentially a permanent loan deal from the Glasgow Museums to the Summerlee Museum since 1987, with it currently residing in a replica engine house that was built specifically for it as part of the coal mining section of the museum.
Dysart / Frances Colliery
Work to sink the Frances Shaft on the Dysart Estate by the Earl of Rosslyn's Collieries Ltd. may have started by 1850, but sources are unclear. There were pits being worked by Messrs Barclay and Normand as early as 1825, but many of these were worked out by 1872. I believe the Frances Shaft was open by 1873, as most sources suggest this, with work on sinking definitely underway by 1871. During the intervening years, the Lady Blanche Pit, which was 240 feet deep, was worked, but I'm unsure as to when this was sunk.
The shaft was sunk to a depth of 1,509 feet using a peculiar layout, with the first 600 feet being elliptical, and the other 909 being the usual circular. One source suggests there were issues with water ingress, hampering efforts to sink the pit, so this could be an explanation for this.
Information from the C20th is more readily available at least! The colliery was purchased by the Fife Coal Company in 1923. They started a program of redevelopment, digging a drift mine at a 1 in 4 angle in 1924, which extended for 800 yards underground and in 1925 they constructed a Baum Type coal washery to serve the mine.
They slowly modernised the rest of the Pit through the 1930s and 40s, with new headgear and a new Robey & Metro Vickers 1,600HP electric winder forming the centrepiece of this work. They managed to install these with very little impact on coal output. Electric Locomotive Haulage was added underground in 1957, using Greenbat Locomotives produced by Greenwood & Batley in Armley, Leeds.
Coal production ceased at the site in 1985, with the site being put under care and maintenance. Final closure came in 1988. Most of the site was demolished in 1990, after a project dubbed Project Frances failed to get off the ground. The Headframe for the Frances Shaft was left as a memorial to the Fife mining industry.
Mary Colliery
Work started on the Mary No.1 Shaft in 1902, with it being sunk to a depth of 2,011 feet, and completed by 1904. This made it one of the deepest in Scotland, with it being deepest until the completion of Barony in 1912. The No.2 Shaft was sunk in 1923, with this being taken to a depth of 1,709 feet. The No.1 Shaft was used as ventilation only after this, having the depth reduced to 659 feet.
The colliery underwent a modernisation program in 1946, which saw the introduction of larger mine cars and locomotive haulage underground. A new car handling plant was added at the surface, along with a Redd Disposal Plant for the treatment of Fly Ash.
The colliery closed in 1966, with the site being completely abandoned in 1968. The remaining concrete headgear is situated in the Lochore Meadows Country Park, and is situated over the No.2 Shaft, which has been capped with a slab of concrete.
Highhouse Colliery
Sinking of the colliery at Highhouse commenced in 1894 by William Baird & Co. with a pair of shafts being sunk. No.1 Shaft was 564 feet deep, and the No.2 Shaft was 571 feet. It was later linked to nearby Barony via underground roadway.
The colliery closed in 1983, with the entirety of the site being demolished except for the No.2 Headframe. It's a relatively new headgear, being built in 1968 to replace the original wooden one. Apparently the winding engine also remains in the remnants of the original engine house, albeit in a partially stripped condition. It's another Grant, Ritchie and Co. affair, with a duplex drum design, a rare survivor today.
A beam engine, nicknamed the Old Ben Beam Engine after it's operator at Highhouse, was moved from it's original location at a colliery owned by Dalry Collieries in 1875 to the Craigston Pit (Ironstone) before making its way to Highhouse in 1890. It was built in 1790 by Walkinshaw at Bridgeton Works. It was moved to the Heriot Watt mining school in Edinburgh in the 1950s, and now resides at Lady Victoria Colliery.
Previous parts can be found here;
Part 1 - Here
Part 2 - Here
Going to start this one off with a correction each from Part 1 and 2, as I unfortunately missed them.
Derbyshire
Thanks to @alex17595 for pointing me to the location for this very elusive Headframe. I was looking around the wrong area, and wasted over an hour scouring the hillside around the wrong quarry to no avail. Did find a solitary chimney at least. Had I not been lazy and taken the other path back to the car, rather than the same (shorter) route I walked up, I'd have walked right past it on the first attempt. Unfortunately the cage is no longer standing.
History is very thin with this one, I've only been able to find one source for it. The shaft was sunk to a depth of 80 feet, being worked as part of the very profitable Gregory Lead Mine, with the earliest known workings dating back to the 17th Century. The mine was at its most profitable in the 18th Century, but suffered from severe flooding and geological issues, which resulted in it's closure in 1806. The mine was leased from Sir Joseph Banks, who owned the nearby Overton Hall, who once sailed with Captain Cook.
The old winding engine -
Like many disused Lead mines, it was later reopened for the extraction of Fluorspar. This was done by a private venture in the 1960s, who erected the Headgear and cage that remains today. Little work was required to extract the spa, as it had mostly been discarded by the previous Lead miners as waste.
Cornwall
This Tin & Copper mine was mostly worked between 1845-76, producing large quantities of Copper and Black Tin. There were multiple shafts dotted around to access the Sett, with the remaining Headframe situated over the East Shaft. It continued being worked intermittently into the C20th, with the mine being merged with Wheal Grenville in 1906, forming the Grenville United Mines.
In 1920 the Wheal Grenville mine closed, resulting in the King Edward Mine adjacent to it flooding due to the cessation of pumping. This left the Camborne School of Mines without a mine to train, so they moved to the shallow workings in the nearby Landower Lode. The Vivian Shaft (formerly East Shaft) and another small shaft were opened down to a depth of around 100 feet, with a small level being established in the old workings.
The Headframe was designed by Head Wrightson & Co. Ltd of Thornaby-on-Tees in 1936, and was built by a local company, the Holman Bros. of Camborne. It was erected over the Vivian Shaft by the staff and students of the King Edward Mine, and is unique, because it is the only known surviving Headframe built solely for training purposes. It is Grade II Listed, due to this, and because it's a rare example of the smaller style of Headframe that's in very good condition.
Scotland
Barony Colliery
Work to open a colliery at Barony was started by William Baird & Co. in order to supply the nearby Lugar Ironworks with coal. Sinking began in 1906, with two shafts being sunk, the No.1 and No.2 Pits. The shafts were completed by 1912, having been sunk to a depth of 2,054 feet, with the first coal being raised the same year. It was the deepest colliery in Scotland.
The Baird Company owned three other pits around Ayrshire, and were heavily focused on their interests in the Iron Industry. The industry suffered a massive downturn in the 1920s, so the company switched their focus primarily to coal production. They merged with the Dalmellington Iron Company in 1931, forming Baird's & Dalmellington Ltd. and retained ownership of Barony until nationalisation in 1947.
Work to sink a third shaft began in 1938 in order to increase coal output from 1,500 tons per day to 2,500 tons. The outbreak of WW2 stopped work however, so the shaft wasn't completed until 1950. It was sunk to a depth of 2,044 feet.
The colliery underwent a modernisation program after nationalisation, with the A Frame headstock that remains in situ being erected over the No.3 Shaft in 1954. It was built to a German design, and was one of only two built in the country. It contains two sets of winding gear, one to raise coal, and one to transport the men, using 4 cages to do this.
A power station was added in 1957, generating electricity from the slurry left over from the coal washing process.
There was a disaster on 8th November 1962, where the No.2 Pit collapsed in on itself, entombing 4 men. The headstock fell into the shaft on 14 November blocking the shaft, preventing any rescue attempts.
The No.1 Pit had to be infilled in order to ensure the survival of the surface buildings and The No.3 Pit. The colliery couldn't operate without a ventilation shaft, so work to sink a new shaft to a depth of 1,672 feet began in 1965. Work was complete and production resumed by 1966. The No.3 shaft was subsequently used as the downcast, and the new No.4 shaft was used as the upcast shaft.
The power station closed in 1983, being demolished to make way for a factory, and the colliery followed in 1989, with the site quickly being cleared, except the Headframe, which was given Grade B listed status in 1990. It is the last of it's type in Britain.
Old Farme Colliery Headframe (Summerlee)
Unfortunately information on this colliery is very thin on the ground, with the majority of information focusing around its rare winding engine. I believe the Headframe to be original, but I'm not sure, especially as it's wooden. It had a very uncommon design for it's winding engine, using a Newcomen Engine in a rotative rather than vertical form. From what I can find, there are only three of this type left in the world, and the one at Summerlee is the only one in Europe, having originated from Old Farme Colliery.
The engine was built in 1810, and was the colliery's first, being used for both winding and pumping of the pit. It pumped water from a depth of 138 feet, but was later replaced with another Newcomen Engine that was considerably larger and dedicated to pumping in 1820. The colliery was the oldest operating in Lanarkshire, and finally closed on the 17th July 1931.
The Newcomen Engine was taken out of service and gifted to the City of Glasgow Corporation for the Kelvingrove Museum of Victorian Industry in 1915, with every component being carefully measured and drawn. This museum never opened however, so the engine remained in storage until it made its way to the Summerlee Museum.
The other two that remain in existence were both English, and were purchased by Henry Ford in 1928 for his museum. He wanted to purchase the Farme engine, but abandoned the idea when it fell into the CoGC hands.
It has been on what's essentially a permanent loan deal from the Glasgow Museums to the Summerlee Museum since 1987, with it currently residing in a replica engine house that was built specifically for it as part of the coal mining section of the museum.
Dysart / Frances Colliery
Work to sink the Frances Shaft on the Dysart Estate by the Earl of Rosslyn's Collieries Ltd. may have started by 1850, but sources are unclear. There were pits being worked by Messrs Barclay and Normand as early as 1825, but many of these were worked out by 1872. I believe the Frances Shaft was open by 1873, as most sources suggest this, with work on sinking definitely underway by 1871. During the intervening years, the Lady Blanche Pit, which was 240 feet deep, was worked, but I'm unsure as to when this was sunk.
The shaft was sunk to a depth of 1,509 feet using a peculiar layout, with the first 600 feet being elliptical, and the other 909 being the usual circular. One source suggests there were issues with water ingress, hampering efforts to sink the pit, so this could be an explanation for this.
Information from the C20th is more readily available at least! The colliery was purchased by the Fife Coal Company in 1923. They started a program of redevelopment, digging a drift mine at a 1 in 4 angle in 1924, which extended for 800 yards underground and in 1925 they constructed a Baum Type coal washery to serve the mine.
They slowly modernised the rest of the Pit through the 1930s and 40s, with new headgear and a new Robey & Metro Vickers 1,600HP electric winder forming the centrepiece of this work. They managed to install these with very little impact on coal output. Electric Locomotive Haulage was added underground in 1957, using Greenbat Locomotives produced by Greenwood & Batley in Armley, Leeds.
Coal production ceased at the site in 1985, with the site being put under care and maintenance. Final closure came in 1988. Most of the site was demolished in 1990, after a project dubbed Project Frances failed to get off the ground. The Headframe for the Frances Shaft was left as a memorial to the Fife mining industry.
Mary Colliery
Work started on the Mary No.1 Shaft in 1902, with it being sunk to a depth of 2,011 feet, and completed by 1904. This made it one of the deepest in Scotland, with it being deepest until the completion of Barony in 1912. The No.2 Shaft was sunk in 1923, with this being taken to a depth of 1,709 feet. The No.1 Shaft was used as ventilation only after this, having the depth reduced to 659 feet.
The colliery underwent a modernisation program in 1946, which saw the introduction of larger mine cars and locomotive haulage underground. A new car handling plant was added at the surface, along with a Redd Disposal Plant for the treatment of Fly Ash.
The colliery closed in 1966, with the site being completely abandoned in 1968. The remaining concrete headgear is situated in the Lochore Meadows Country Park, and is situated over the No.2 Shaft, which has been capped with a slab of concrete.
Highhouse Colliery
Sinking of the colliery at Highhouse commenced in 1894 by William Baird & Co. with a pair of shafts being sunk. No.1 Shaft was 564 feet deep, and the No.2 Shaft was 571 feet. It was later linked to nearby Barony via underground roadway.
The colliery closed in 1983, with the entirety of the site being demolished except for the No.2 Headframe. It's a relatively new headgear, being built in 1968 to replace the original wooden one. Apparently the winding engine also remains in the remnants of the original engine house, albeit in a partially stripped condition. It's another Grant, Ritchie and Co. affair, with a duplex drum design, a rare survivor today.
A beam engine, nicknamed the Old Ben Beam Engine after it's operator at Highhouse, was moved from it's original location at a colliery owned by Dalry Collieries in 1875 to the Craigston Pit (Ironstone) before making its way to Highhouse in 1890. It was built in 1790 by Walkinshaw at Bridgeton Works. It was moved to the Heriot Watt mining school in Edinburgh in the 1950s, and now resides at Lady Victoria Colliery.
