Coalmining Representation in the Heritage Sector of the East Midlands Blog

Coalmining Heritage Day at Underwood Saturday 24th September 2016

A celebration of coalmining in the Community at St Michael’s Church, Underwood on Saturday 24th September 2016 from 10.30 am to 4.00 pm. Free Event, all welcome.

Film Screening and Text Study – Odour of Chrysanthemums

The DH Lawrence Society are running a film screening and text study of Lawrence’s “Odour of Chrysanthemums” at the Bestwood Winding Engine House on Thursday 5th June 2014 (10.30am to 2.30pm). Cost is £5 per person which includes drinks and light refreshments plus a tour of the preserved winding engine house. For more details contact the Heritage Officer at Bestwood on (01159) 762422.

Mining Memorabilia Event – Bestwood – Sun 27th April 2014

A free event to promote the rich heritage of the coalmining industry in Nottinghamshire takes place at the preserved Bestwood Winding Engine House, 4 miles north of Nottingham, on Sunday 27th April 2014 from 10am to 2pm.  Members of the National Mining Memorabilia Association will put on displays of coalmining artefacts and tours of the preserved 1876 Colliery Winding Engine will be available on the day.   Drinks and home made cakes will be available for purchase in the Dynamo House at the very reasonable price of a quid for a drink and piece of cake – best cake / drink deal in the county!

Copies of the recently released book “A History of the Nottinghamshire Miners Unions Vol. 4 (1980 – 1985) will be available at the discounted price of £10.99 per copy.

All welcome – further details on (01159) 762422 or by e-mail at david.amos@nottscc.gov.uk

History of the Nottinghamshire Miners Vol.4 (1980-1985)

The book version of my PhD thesis to the University of Nottingham is available in book form which forms Vol. 4 of  ”A History of the Nottinghamshire Miners Unions 1980 – 1985″.  Most of the book covers the eventful period from the introduction of the NUM overtime ban in October 1983 through to the formation of the UDM in December 1985.  The book compliments the work on the Nottinghamshire Miners Unions, Vol. 1 (1881 – 1914) and Vol.2 (1914 – 1944) by the late Prof. Alan R Griffin.  The book, priced £13.99, can be purchased at the following outlets:

Bestwood Winding Engine House (Open Saturday mornings 10am – 12 Noon from Easter to end of October) Tel:  (01159) 762422

Kirkby-in-Ashfeld Heritage Centre (open Saturday mornings from 10am – 12 Noon)  Tel: (01623) 720111

Mansfield Museum (open daily Mon – Sat) – Tel: (01623) 463088

D.H. Lawrence Heritage Centre in Eastwood – (Open Tues to Sundays 10am – 5pm)   Tel: (01773) 717353

Industrial Heritage Walk around Annesley and Newstead

Annesley & Newstead Collieries – Past and Present

On Sunday 18th November 2012, twenty-seven walkers enjoyed a four-mile trek around Annesley and Newstead in the heart of the former Nottinghamshire coalfield.  The theme for the day was the industrial heritage of the area and several significant former industrial and railway sites were visited as part of the walk.  The walk was led by David Amos, a local historian who specialises in coalmining and railway history in that region, and was in conjunction with Ashfield District Council and the Friends of Annesley Old Church.

For more details on the Annesley Old Church Project contact the Project Officer on (01623) 457537 or have a look at the Annesley Old Church Facebook page.

Having the Crack – what was it?

The Eastwood Pitman in full flow!

Having the Crack was a distinct type of dry, quick witted humour that existed, not only in the pits, but in many of the traditional heavy British industries.  Have a neb at David Coleman, the Eastwood Pitman, telling a funny story about a miner’s snap tin   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLrrs5MI8oM

This section aims to collect some of the humorous bits connected to the coalmining industry – witty quotes, short stories, poems and cartoons.

Mining Heritage Tour – 2012 DH Lawrence Festival

On Sunday 16th September a group of 32 people took part in a Mining Heritage Tour as part of the 2012 DH Lawrence Festival.  The two-week annual festival took place from 6th – 19th September 2012 and included many activities and events  connected with the Eastwood author.  The Mining Heritage Tour visited various mining memorial sites at former Nottinghamshire collieries as well as various mining heritage sites including Brinsley Headstocks, Bestwood Winding Engine house and the Breach House.  David Amos, tour organiser, gave a potted pit history at each stop as well as introducing the visitors to some prominent, and often controversial characters, connected with the various pit sites on the tour.  These included Arthur Lawrence (Butty), Colin Clarke (NUM Branch Official), Harold Larwood (Cricketer) and George Spencer (Controversial Notts Miners Leader from 1926).

Visit to Bestwood Winding Engine House

I recently visited the former Colliery Winding Engine House at Bestwood Colliery.  It was the first time I have visited since restoration work was done as part of a successful HLF funding bid in 2009.  A magnificent example of a vertical steam winding engine, the only one in Britain that survives on its original site.  Most steam winding engines at collieries were of the horizontal type.  The Bestwood Winding Engine House is open on Saturday mornings (10.00am – 12 Noon) from April to October.

Dust – Mansfield Palace Theatre

On Wednesday 18th April 2012 the play Dust was performed at the Mansfield Palace Theatre in Mansfield.  Dust is the story of miners and coal mining communities.  It is a story of dreams and reality in Britain partly shaped by the the social and political upheaval of events surrounding the 1984-85 Miners’ Strike.  It is also the story of two Arthur’s – Arthur Scargill, NUM President 1982-2002, and Arthur Cook – A  J Cook – leader of the Miners Federation of Great Britain in the 1926 Miners lockout.  Scargill’s inspiration and involvement in mining trade unionism was based on his admiration for A J Cook.

Dust is a fictional account of a ghost from the past that comes to haunt Scargill the morning after the death of Margaret Thatcher.  It was not without controversy and the plot questioned aspects of Scargill’s role in the 1984-85 strike among other things.  To that end when the play opened in Barnsley on 17th March it was disrupted by hecklers in the audience.  The play was written and directed by Ade Morris.

Ch Ch Ch Changes – Mansfield Museum

This recent exhibition  looked at issues connected with the landscape, environmental and cultural changes  in the former Nottinghamshire coalfield following the demise of the once vast deep coalmining industry.  Some of the socio-economic implications from the run down of the industry are still being felt today.  The landscape has altered almost beyond recognition during the last decade with many former colliery sites now being transformed into country parks, industrial and commercial sites with light industry.  Some of the former  mining communities have become deserted ghost-towns and have been plagued by a benefits dependency culture, crime and drugs problems.

A display of David Severn’s photographs showing aspects of the changing mining landscape went on show at Mansfield Museum between 3rd March and 14th April 2012.  Coal mining entertainer, David Coleman, presented two of his mining shows on 2nd and 3rd April.