Mosley Common Colliery
Encyclopedia
Mosley Common Colliery was a coal mine originally owned by the Bridgewater Trustees
operating on the Manchester Coalfield
after 1866 in Mosley Common
, Greater Manchester
, then in the historic county of Lancashire
, England. The colliery eventually had five shafts and became the largest colliery on the coalfield with access to around 270 million tons of coal under the Permian rocks to the south.
which survived until 1964. Production started in 1868 from the Crombouke mine. Some of the first miners came from other Bridgewater Trustees pits whose coal reserves were becoming exhausted. No 2 pit was sunk to 535 yards.
The shaft at No 4 pit was 18 feet 6 inches in diameter was sunk to the Trencherbone mine at 602 yards in 1881. Its winding engine was a product of the Haigh Foundry and it had a steel lattice headframe
. This shaft was deepened to 1,000 yards and a Koepe tower winder was built in 1961. The upcast ventilation
shaft was No 3 pit sunk to 535 yards, it had a winding engine for winding men not coal.
An electric power generating house was built in 1915 and a tall chimney for the boiler plant built in 1916. The Lancashire boilers were supplied by Galloways.
In 1923 the Mosley Common, Nos 1, 2 and 5 pits employed 1,338 underground and 198 surface workers while Nos 3 and 4 pits
employed 951 underground and 143 above ground.
The colliery became part of Manchester Collieries
in 1929 when Bridgewater Collieries joined the company. By 1933 while part of Manchester Collieries the combined total for the pits was 1,729 underground and 489 on the surfacerising to 1,711 and 531 in 1940.
In 1947, at nationalisation, Mosley Common Nos 1 & 2 pits employed 978 underground and 406 surface workers while No 4 pit employed a further 853 underground and 221 on the surface.
Mosley Common Colliery was one of the country's largest and most modern pits after refurbishment and development work by the National Coal Board
completed in 1962. It was turned into a "superpit" at a cost of £7.5 millon and employed 3000 workers. The colliery closed in 1968 after being set impossible production targets though its coal reserves had not been exhausted. The site was cleared by 1974.
Bridgewater Collieries
Bridgewater Collieries originated from the coal mines on the Manchester Coalfield in Worsley in the historic county of Lancashire owned by Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater in the second half of the 18th century. After the Duke's death in 1803 his estate was managed by the Bridgewater...
operating on the Manchester Coalfield
Manchester Coalfield
The Manchester Coalfield is part of the South East Lancashire Coalfield. Its coal seams were laid down in the Carboniferous period and some easily accessible seams were worked on a small scale from the Middle Ages and extensively from the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the early 19th...
after 1866 in Mosley Common
Mosley Common
Mosley Common is a suburb of Tyldesley at the far-eastern edge of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England.It was anciently a hamlet in the east of the township of Tyldesley cum Shakerley, in the ancient parish of Leigh...
, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, then in the historic county of Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England. The colliery eventually had five shafts and became the largest colliery on the coalfield with access to around 270 million tons of coal under the Permian rocks to the south.
History
In 1862 work started at Mosley Common to sink three shafts to a depth of 500 yards in an area where coal had been mined for some time. The old workings were originally called Stonehouse Pits but the new colliery was sunk to access the deeper seams earlier mining had not reached. The sinking of the 12 feet diameter No 1 shaft encountered much water and massive pumps installed from Musgraves in Bolton who also built the winding engineWinding engine
A winding engine is a stationary engine used to control a cable, for example to power a mining hoist at a pit head. Electric hoist controllers have replaced proper winding engines in modern mining, but use electric motors that are also traditionally referred to as winding engines.Most proper...
which survived until 1964. Production started in 1868 from the Crombouke mine. Some of the first miners came from other Bridgewater Trustees pits whose coal reserves were becoming exhausted. No 2 pit was sunk to 535 yards.
The shaft at No 4 pit was 18 feet 6 inches in diameter was sunk to the Trencherbone mine at 602 yards in 1881. Its winding engine was a product of the Haigh Foundry and it had a steel lattice headframe
Headframe
A headframe is the structural frame above an underground mine shaft. Modern headframes are built out of steel, concrete or a combination of both...
. This shaft was deepened to 1,000 yards and a Koepe tower winder was built in 1961. The upcast ventilation
Underground mine ventilation
Underground mine ventilation provides a flow of air to the underground workings of a mine of sufficient volume to dilute and remove noxious gases . The source of these gases are equipment that runs on diesel engines, blasting with explosives, and the orebody itself...
shaft was No 3 pit sunk to 535 yards, it had a winding engine for winding men not coal.
An electric power generating house was built in 1915 and a tall chimney for the boiler plant built in 1916. The Lancashire boilers were supplied by Galloways.
In 1923 the Mosley Common, Nos 1, 2 and 5 pits employed 1,338 underground and 198 surface workers while Nos 3 and 4 pits
employed 951 underground and 143 above ground.
The colliery became part of Manchester Collieries
Manchester Collieries
Manchester Collieries was a coal mining company formed in 1929 with headquarters at Walkdenfrom a group of independent companies operating on the Manchester Coalfield. The Mining Industry Act of 1926 attempted to stem the post-war decline in coal mining and encourage independent companies to merge...
in 1929 when Bridgewater Collieries joined the company. By 1933 while part of Manchester Collieries the combined total for the pits was 1,729 underground and 489 on the surfacerising to 1,711 and 531 in 1940.
In 1947, at nationalisation, Mosley Common Nos 1 & 2 pits employed 978 underground and 406 surface workers while No 4 pit employed a further 853 underground and 221 on the surface.
Mosley Common Colliery was one of the country's largest and most modern pits after refurbishment and development work by the National Coal Board
National Coal Board
The National Coal Board was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the mines on "vesting day", 1 January 1947...
completed in 1962. It was turned into a "superpit" at a cost of £7.5 millon and employed 3000 workers. The colliery closed in 1968 after being set impossible production targets though its coal reserves had not been exhausted. The site was cleared by 1974.