[photo]103617[/photo]

Dave Williams sent this, it's a Harry Parker pic and I think it may be from Clarghyll or Ayle coal mine on the way between Allendale and Alston any ideas/confirmation.

Sorry, no idea on this one although as I remember Clarghyll, there wasn't much stuff indoors.

Thanks Les,

It looks like coal the plant is handling but I guess it could be any one of several small mines in the North Pennines.

May well be Ayle Colliery. Shropshire Mines Trust bought a number of items of their machinery when they closed and the Eimco Loading Shovel and BEV Electric Loco are still used for displays.

http://shropshiremines.org.uk/smt/smtart/smtart.htm 

I even have an Ayle truck in my front garden!

http://www.aditnow.co.uk/Photo/Wagon-From-Ayle-Colliery_106395/ 

Thanks Trogleman,

You don't have any photos from when it was operating just to help confirm, if not I'll put it to Ayle with a caveat.

Regards

Jim

Sorry I only visited on the occasion we bought the stuff but we got a trip underground.

No help with the pictures sadly ....
BUT I was lucky enough to buy the stamped Ayle colliery mine deputies manuals from the old book shop in Alston a couple of years back .

Do you have a date? Ayle has proper washing plant this just looks like a screen and handpicking stone and brass out of coal. Was at ayle for 9 years and it's not the set up. looking at shed roof it could be Cargill, or depending on date could be old ayle. Then again could be high row

Next time I'm up there cleaning their windows I will ask

May well be Ayle Colliery. Shropshire Mines Trust bought a number of items of their machinery when they closed and the Eimco Loading Shovel and BEV Electric Loco are still used for displays.

http://shropshiremines.org.uk/smt/smtart/smtart.htm 

I even have an Ayle truck in my front garden!

http://www.aditnow.co.uk/Photo/Wagon-From-Ayle-Colliery_106395/ 

When did Ayle Colliery close? The most recent online information from the Coal Authority is 31 December 2015 when it was still operating. The SMT website is down at the moment (there's a note to this effect on their Facebook page) and cannot access the link.

I suspect the date will be mid-1970's, Harry had the habit of neither dating or locating some of his photos, in part this was down to him knowing where he was. PDHMS had visited Clarghyll but otherwise it was a stab in the dark re. location as PDHMS/NMRS visited a number of working coal mines in the area around that time

Jim

Can anything be deduced from the Google Earth images from 1984, (building types clearly visible)?

Or Subbrit?

http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/sites/a/ayle_colliery/index.shtml 

simonrail uploaded a similar(identical?) John Owen pic
[photo]90363[/photo]

(to your subbrit link) onto AN for Ayle from July '68, it's quite possible that one of the two corrugated sheds to the left could be the outside of Harry's photo. Les doesn't recognise it from any PDHMS trip he was on and it doesn't look too much like anything relating to Clarghyll on AN, but oldpitman knows Ayle and doesn't recall a similar bit of processing plant although perhaps the other two sites he mentioned are possibles.

Given that the brave folk at PDHMS have thousands(?) of Harry's photos to archive I suspect there has been some hair-tearing times, Dave Williams sent me about two hundred a year ago, so far I have still have about 50 that I can put little or no information to.

If nothing else it's quite fun as every now and then something connects and another two or three get pinned down and it does help keep me occupied!;(

Then I've still got 50/100 of my Dad's to try and get more information on, he could be even more cunning than Harry not only did he often not annotate his slides, some of those he did were attributed to the wrong place, luckily eagle-eyed people on AN have quickly put me right.

The square cornered roof with a noticeable step down fits in very well with this image? Assume I'm somewhere near the right place?

https://zoom.earth/#54.839881,-2.422628,19z,sat 

Fine sleuthing Morlock,

I'll bide a while and see if oldpitman can add more based on his knowledge of Ayle and contacts. It's quite impressive how much thought and effort one obscure, but well-taken, photo can generate. Who knows the name of the bloke doing the sorting might emerge, Harry, Dad and others took many photos at working mines often including people who worked there but more often than not they remain anons which is a bit of a shame.

Jim

Looking at a photo now in 95' ayle screens didn't have as much headroom

On the colourd pic from 68the screens are next to photographer so you can't see them. Tubs were tipped at drift end and coal went up belt for screening.

The tub is you have in the garden was actually from settlingstones witherite mine. Frank shepherd bought them and used them for a while at barhaugh, they only held 4cwt. He later ditched them in favour of 6 cwt tubs. They were never used at ayle even though John has some in his garden. They always used bigger tubs at ayle.

Will see if I can find out who is doing the screening as well

The Arial photo is clargill

Thanks oldpitman,

I'm assuming Simon hasn't got any more of John Owen's photos of Ayle otherwise he would probably have uploaded them so there may be no photos of the screening facilities available.

But progress is being made:)

Slightly(!!) off topic as you clean windows in Lanehead (amazing the snippets that can be gleaned from AN) Do you know where in Lanehead this is/was and it's use, there is some evidence of a mill on the 19th C OS maps, I think Dad took it in 1995. I asked the people at Killhope but got no reply. I'm assuming it was late 19th C breast or undershot and there's no great evidence of a leat so probably only had a sporadic use.

🔗109723[linkphoto]109723[/linkphoto][/link]


Jim

No John I can't place it. However 2 of my customers have lived there all their lives and are now in their 70s. One farms the area. I will show them it when I'm next over.

Do you have any more of the Alston pits

Thanks,

Dad and Mum seem to have had a bit of a final trundle over the area in 1995 as they were getting on a bit and less willing to drive far by the mid 1990's. If you do come across any information it would help. I'll try and find some time later on this year to wander up in that direction so any clue to location would be good.

There are a few from Bleigill Coal Mine when it was working but generally they were keener on lead and related mines.

Jim

I would like to see some of blagill working. Only have them when it was shut

Hi oldpitman,

I've some other stuff to work through yet but I'll upload the Blaegill/Blagill photos presently. I'll send you a PM when I get round to it.

Jim