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I found this print (in colour below) at a local bookfair. The artist is W.H. Prior, but I'm interested in knowing which colliery it depicts. Perhaps you can provide me with some help to identify this colliery and its exact location ? If so, please do drop me a line, I'd be most grateful to hear from you.
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{Click on the image to get a closer look ~ 700Kb.}
11/10/00 Christopher J.Williams identified two sources of publication; "It is a page from an old publication by C.Tomlinson, 'Cyclopaedia of Useful Arts', Vol. 1 Part ii (1852), facing page 391, and is also reproduced in W H Chaloner and A E Musson, 'Industry and Technology' (1965), plate 35, who ascribe it to South Staffordshire."
19/10/00 Nigel Chapman stated; "Have seen it used on several occasions, such as the Midlands Mining Commission of 1842. Chances of identifying it as a pit are about nil. It is one of several drawings of South Staffs, North Staffs, or several other fields that used early beam winders. As it has a normal i.e. thin con. rod would suggest a Watt type engine, so c.1840 to 50. date O.K. Note the skip on the far shaft. This is a Thick Coal pit with the iron hoops used to hold the large lumps of coal in place. This method was only used in Black Country. Also near head frames are several hoops on a skip. So for I.D. its a Thick Coal pit in the Dudley-Oldbury area."
A remarkably similar print was noticed in "Below" (The
Newsletter of the Shropshire Caving and Mining Club) Spring Edition 2000,
and accompanied an article titled 'Community Digs Deep to Revive Colliery's
Past'. This discussed 'Trefonen Old Colliery' near Oswestry - perhaps
this depicts that mine ? The only issue being that Trefonen is in
Shropshire, and the above print is allegedly in Staffordshire !
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{Click on the image to get a closer look ~ 90Kb.}
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