| Entry Type | Corporate |
| Corporate Name | Whitwell Colliery |
| Parent Body | Shireoaks Colliery Company (1890-1938) |
| United Steel (1938-1947) |
| National Coal Board (1947-1987) |
| Place | Whitwell |
| Place | Whitwell |
| Epithet | coal mine |
| Dates | 1890-1987 |
| History | Whitwell Colliery opened in 1890 on land leased from the Duke of Portland, who had lifted the first sod. It began producing coal the next year. Initially 2 shafts were sunk but these were deepened in 1923. A third shaft was worked from 1935 to mine a new seam, replacing the old one from 1943. It was owned by Shireoaks until 1938, when United Steel Company took over. United Steel had it until nationalisation. During the colliery’s lifetime, it worked the High Hazel, Top Hard, Clowne and Two Foot coal seams. There were explorations in 1924 for other seams, but most were deemed unworkable.
In 1947 Whitwell Colliery came under the control of the National Coal Board. It was part of the East Midlands Divison Area No. 1 until 1967, when it became part of the North Derbyshier Area. The onsite facilities included a preparation plant, press plant, washery, pithead baths, fire and rescue station and a surgery. The site underwent a large redevelopment phase between 1956 and 1961. Whitwell Colliery finally closed in 1987.
Construction of the first houses provided for workers at the pit was started in 1894. Around this time, a horse drawn ambulance service from nearby Worksop, across the border in Nottinghamshire, was beginning to be provided. The ambulance horses were not the only horses to serve the pit. At one point it was worked by 130 ponies.
Known Managers: Richard Enos Jones, H. J. Atkinson, Lloyd L. Harrison, J. S. Vincent, M. W. Fletcher, H. Wright, Arnold Vardy.
|
| Key Events | 1890: Land first leased; First sunk
1891: Production begins
1938: Taken over by United Steel
1947: Nationalisation
1987: Closed |
| Source | National Coal Board, A Profile of Whitwell Colliery (1984)
Whitwell Local History Group, Whitwell Colliery, http://www.wlhg.co.uk/book/part10.htm |
| Authorised Form of Name | Whitwell; Whitwell Colliery; 1890-1987; coal mine |
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