Whittle Colliery

[Electricbrewer]

Hello, I'm interested in information and photographs about Whittle and shilbottle colliery's,I worked at both of them between 1977-1987

[Coquet]

Hi Electricbrewer, welcome to the forum.

There is a series of underground photos for Whittle (from before your time there) hidden away at the National Archives. One day I hope to get some copies!

This will take you back in the meantime (from another thread on here):

[Electricbrewer]

He is an interesting one (Hopefully) Whittle drift under construction circa 1965 ish, with the "tower" behind .Looking at the face-plans on the map you will notice that there never was a Y13, rumor had it it was bad luck to name a face with the number thirteen, then again you did have thirteen west.

[Coquet]

Nice picture EB, thanks for sharing.

[Alan J.]

I think the drift construction was nearer the 1960 mark as it was up and running when the Whittle lads were coming to Hauxley to do their face training.
This was from1963 until 1965. Hauxley was the group training face where all the face trainees came from Shilbottle and Whittle.
From 1966 they went to Shilbottle West winnings right side as Hauxley was being run down prior to closure.
In the North East side of Shilbottle there was also no thirteen, it went straight from 12 North East to 14 North East.
Incidently it was in 14 NE mothergate where a deputy was killed by a fall of stone on his way inbye in July 1968, so did trying to avoid superstition work??

[phil]

nice photo , it looks like the manriding set is in use mabe the men started to go down the drift but no coal belt instoreled

[Electricbrewer]

Here are two more of Whittle Colliery Drift top under construction, One from a hole in the ground ,I wouldn't fancy the job of "winning it out" I bet it was fun when it rained!

[Coquet]

Nice. Is that the cable belt? I wonder if they won it out with the cable belt or if the tunnelling is more or less complete in that photo?

On the subject of water on the Drift, I remember there were a couple of wet patches. One winter, a really nasty winter, the water running in from the roof started to freeze. The ice got so bad the rails for the manriding set disappeared under the ice and ice started to from all around the sides with enormous thick icicles hanging down from the roof. It was effectively trying to close up with ice.
Now as the manriding set was out of action, we all had to walk down. Have you ever tried to walk down a 30 degree slope of wet ice? Fun and games I can tell you. It was like a crazy 50 man circus act. 'Elf and safety - pah!

[Electricbrewer]

I remember that winter well, myself Bob Burley & Geordie Story had the pleasure of doing inline cable jointing every two hundred meters on two 185mm armored cables, the inline cable joints relied on the temperature of your hands to stretch the self-amalgamating insulating tape, the drift temperature hit -22c,mind saying that Davey Moor the deputy electrical engineer did pay us 50p a day extra and we were allowed to carry flame safety lamps to thaw out our fingers, taking rest-bite in the refuge holes, oh happy days.

[Coquet]

EB found your Whittle album!

http://www.coquetandcoast.co.uk/ambl...php?albumid=14


GMT Curve. and the Drift bottom. Now that takes me back.

[Coquet]

Yeah, keep walking straight ahead 600 yards in this one and you enter the magical kingdom of Shilbottle Colliery.