The photo shows our geese and this is the long field - in the next field is a blocked shaft. Does antone have any info on Waterloo pit?

Photograph:

🔗Pentrich-Pits-Around-Pentrich-Village-Coal-Mine-User-Album-Image-003[linkphoto]Pentrich-Pits-Around-Pentrich-Village-Coal-Mine-User-Album-Image-003[/linkphoto][/link]

Aaaaah, I live in Ripley and am currently trying to track this down as part of my local studies, all I can tell you is it opened the year of the battle of Waterloo in 1815 and was known as Waterloo Bye Pit. I was recently told that the shaft is in fact behind where your ducks are as the hillocks all radiate from it. I posted some pics on here under the name above. The nice folk at the local stables allowed me access when I was trying to figure this all out.

It was connected to the Pentrich and Oakerthorpe Tramway which ran along the field edge and across the road just south of the triangle. The line is traceable once beyond the Swanwick Pentrich road going North for some distance. Going south from the pit the tramway connected the mine to the Cromford canal at a wharf just to the west of Geesons old yard on the section of the Cromford Canal below the same. The lane just below the field in question was the lower end.

This an ongoing project and I'm due to see some old estate maps and will advise once I do.

Hope that helps

Regards IANCC
🙂

DURRR Just realised that was my picture ::)

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Thanks for this - it's fascinating - if you look at the next field - we call it triangle - there is shaft head which the local historian called Waterloo shaft. It has been capped so we have no idea what is below. The area you were looking was where we thought the track would have come to as there is a higher area across the field. We did have the area between the hedge and the mound cut back so the horse could not get out of the field so easily! Incidentally that field still has the markings from the old plough lines so it must be quite old. I have seen old photos from a talk on the canal that showed the railway spur up to the pit and further north.Keep in touch.

Hi, The field next door has the actual shaft cap?
Must have missed that one, OK with you if I have another butchers then...?? :flowers:

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Please get in touch and we can arrange it.

Will do, apparently there is another shaft in that bit of a yard over the road!

Speak soon. :thumbup:

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Only recently found aditnow, another distraction in life 🙂 As I gave the talk I suppose I'd better post the picture and a few bits from the Cromford Canal archives from the Friends of the Cromford Canal. I had arranged to have a look around Anji's fields with my brother as well last winter but Bowel Cancer gets in the way (as well as being nature's way of telling you to lay off the Pork Pies!). Would still like a look around and would love to do a booklet on this early plateway. I believe there is stuff in the Devonshire Archive at Chatsworth.
If I can assist anyone please let me know.

Hi ICLOK, I don't know if you have a copy of Sanderson's famous early 19th century map, but this shows a spur of the Pentrich and Oakerthorpe tramway line turning north through the western part of Anji's triangular field (not the long field as you show on your Google map.) This carried on to another colliery (clearly shown as such on the map) on the east side of Millstone lane. I have a scan of the relevant part of the map (as does my brother, 'shovel_6'), which I can email you if you drop me a PM so I know your email address.

I also have a scan of a photograph taken by me when I was very much younger (in about 1966), looking from the old Ambergate & Pye Bridge rail line towards Pentrich, with a lot of snow on the ground. As far as I know, the line of the hedge in the foreground of this shows the route of the tramway between the Midland railway line and the triangular field. I can send you a scan of this as well. (It's a bit off-topic to post on the website)

Hi Both, Any and all info much appreciated and a booklet on this line very overdue. I think I've cracked the North end beyond Pentrich from an estate map and there is also a bridge. Email address on its way to you both with thanks.

EDIT Chris,my route was based on early OS map from which I estimated that bit of route, so Sanderson view could differ, I did a walk to assess the terrain and suitable grades... but in all honesty found two possible options for that bit and just chose what looked the more likely...

Regards ICLOK 🙂

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HI everyone - this is great and hopefully when the snow is less we can arrange a trip down the field - :lol: shovel 6 has Bruce and my email address so if we can be included on the photos it would be great. We have also noticed heavy stone building around the stream/ odd as it's mainly a run off from Asher Lane/ by the boundary in triangle field - the land is very heavy in coal residue and not enjoyed by livestock so we have put trees in over the years to cover the area in this field whereas the long field is still good and has old plough ridge and furrows on it. Sorry about the health news - best wishes

I have looked at the Aerial pic from Chris and we do now have definate route and lets hope some great walks in prospect.

The route North of the farm is on the early OS maps which i will photograph and send. I also have my photos of Sheila Norris's Chatsworth estate maps.
Beyond Longcroft farm the route was opencasted away but I am convinced it went to the pits in the bottom of the vale near the golf course as I have located an embanked bridge over the stream allowing access to those collieries.

The slack under your field being very coal rich is a good pointer to an old old coal working as they chucked the small stuff away.... big lumps being only really saleable back then. Medium grade stuff usually got sold off locally in small lots or went in the engine boilers of the pit that mined it. Even then huge amounts of nutty slack ended up as spoil. If yo go to golden valley above the Cromford canal tunnel, the spoil is virtually all coal and the hillocks just grey in winter.

Will PM you my own email and then you can mail me and I will cross copy you some stuff.

Regards ICLOK

Interestingly a section of another tramway route Sth of the Canal on the other side of the valley to Morley Park has a section of good trackbed and embankment, probably pretty typical of what the Pentrich Tramway looked like.

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