The End of Amble Deep Mining
 

This is the Hauxley Victoria Seam, N.C.B letter "T", worked north of the Hauxley Fault.
The green are the contours of the surface of the seam in feet from [Ordnance Datum +10000]

Years are added in blue. Coal height in black in inches.

Faults in red.

The last seam worked by deep mining in the Amble parish?

There's a small amount of data missing to the northernmost workings as they do extend a little further than shown. If memory serves me correctly, from looking at the Ellington plans, they terminate in front of the harbour mouth.

Theres a face under the Lord Mayor's Camp, and one crossing under the road between Moor House and Amble.

The county name is Victoria but at Hauxley the local name was the Brockwell.

The North winnings was the face that ended about half a mile off the pier ends, the face under the Lord Mayors was North West 1 and the one near Moorhouse was West 3. This was the longest walk, to the tailgate end, in the pit at closure.

Yes and the local name for the next down the sequence, the 'Marshall Green' seam, NCB letter 'U', was the "Hauxley Victoria", just to confuse matters. Was that seam worked to any extent? I suppose the next deeper workable seam beneath the Hauxley Victoria takes us to our old friend the Shillbottle seam, NCB letter. "Y"

Funnily enough it was always talked about at Hauxley that there was another seam, below the Brockwell, called the Victoria. It was supposed to be very similar to the Brockwell and may be a follow up later on.

Was the Brockwell (T) the seam they tried the ploughs in?

Yes in late 1960 a plough was tried in the South West winnings, thats the place West 3 went off of at right angles. It wasn't a success because, in the Brockwell, there was a band of soft stone under the coal, the faces were cut in this, the plough just dug into this and bounced off the coal face. It was abandoned after a few months and the face continued on as a winning place producing West 1,2 and 3.

I've sketched this out for the geology/coalfield page, if we ever get there. Not sure if there is any interest in this stuff but I feel it will be required before doing anything on the local pits.

Shows the Amble strata in the grand scheme of things. Had the resolution set wrong on the drawing program due to moving to a new computer and not noticing until finished so it is a bit blurry, have not got the stomach to draw it again so stuck with it.


Shows the 'alien' Shillbottle coal, and how different it is, being about 20 Ma (mega annum - million years) older that the rest of the field.

I've noted that the Hauxley Brockwell seam was the oldest (note: not deepest due to faulting) worked south of the Coquet but I think the Shillbottle coals were perhaps worked south of the Coquet to the west?

This relates to Amble, as (for example) the whole of the coal measures (Westphalian) is missing towards Shilbottle and to the north, which is older limestone country.

I've looked at this about 90 times and think it is ok, if you think something is wrong shout out.




http://www.coquetandcoast.co.uk/imag...ratigraphy.jpg


[Source material for the local part - Rothbury, Alnwick and Newbiggin Geology Maps 1:50000 series]

Interesting to see the Townhead shown, there were two insets in the Shilbottle shafts, Townhead and Cannel Coal. These had been encountered in the sinking but not considered for working.

The Townhead was nicely visible in a 'manhole'* on the Whittle Drift as well.


[*'Manhole' = Small refuge area cut at regular intervals into the side of a roadway to take shelter from the danger of passing transport etc.]

Apparently, on the new building site opposite the industrial estate, they are taking precautions for the next phase, to the South of the already occupied area. Some sort of piling is being employed in places because of "previously mined" areas. On examining the plans, shown above, it would be the face known as West 3, it was directly under this site. It seems surprising they are still concerned about subsidence after all this time, the last time anyone was down there would be 59 years ago past November.

There is also a bunch of old shafts near that new estate. A group of them to the south, shown on the Coal Authority map (zoom in then click mine entry) as probably removed by opencast, but workings from them might still be there to the north? Then there is a single shaft right next to the road where they have been building. So it might not be the Hauxley workings causing problems around there after all, but older shallower workings?

Sounds more likely, apologies for my arithmetic above it should be 49 years not 59.

Just looking at this geology map - this is the 1895 Rothbury Drift sheet 1:63,360, 1 inch to the mile. Amble is in the top right corner. Shows a zone of 'old pits' where the new estate is, as mentioned above. Also a bunch of 'old pits' at the bottom end of Amble -Ivy Street, Leslie Drive, Lawrence Ave area??



http://www.largeimages.bgs.ac.uk/iip...tml?id=1000688


I'm delighted the Geological Survey are putting this stuff online. :)

Must be the answer Coquet, I would be surprised if 30'' of coal worked that long ago, 800ft down would cause problems.

The face that crosses under the road between New Moor and Amble is heading towards Hope House, in the 60s there was a small spoil heap in a walled enclosure next to the railway bridge on the south side of 'Hope Lonnen'.

Within the enclosure were the remnants of a building(s) and possibly a shaft near the line. From memory the Lonnen which was an unmetalled road exited at the drift at Radcliffe and although it was fenced off you could get down the first few steps and look into the drift.

As an aside the apples in the Hope Farm house orchard which ran down to the enclosure were vey nice!

What year is the map the with workings overlaid, Kirkwell Cottages are are given as 'Kirkwall' and the gardens to the rear of Newbrough St where Ivy Street is now seem to extend a long way?

I think it is this series, but the area is across two sheets. '..1921 with additions in 1938':


http://maps.nls.uk/view/101028120

That would be the Moorhouse Drift into the coal worked by Broomhill I think? Alan J has commented on that one. Also here. I have no recollection of it.



http://www.coquetandcoast.co.uk/imag...ft%20amble.jpg

Knew I had drawn something related to Broomhill's Moorhouse workings. :o

from another thread:

http://www.coquetandcoast.co.uk/imag...e_workings.jpg

Coal raised at East Togston Drift then carted across the fields to Broomhill according to Alan.


The seam is the Albert/Yard or 'G' seam. Probably split as it is G1 here. We worked the same seam at Ellington. I remember it well! Shuttle Cars and 12 CMs. ( video same machines as Ellington if anyone is interested)


Some observations on the workings shown above.
They have left a pillar for Pretoria cottage, and stopped in front of the Radcliffe Terraces and Stable Row.
The workings heading south appear to stop at about 80 feet below OD. They must be just 25 metres or so below the surface? The opencast comes along and finishes that lot off in the future.
The 'G' seam must outcrop in the south of Radcliffe village, which fits with the fact that the G seam is exposed on the beach at Bondicar.