Nenthead Photos · AditNow Community

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christwigg
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

13 years ago

Saw these go for £26 each on eBay listed as "Nenthead Coal Mining Works" (ahem)

The first is clearly the VM Smelt Mill in the middle of town.
🔗Nenthead-New-Smelt-Mill-Archive-Album-Image-77073[linkphoto]Nenthead-New-Smelt-Mill-Archive-Album-Image-77073[/linkphoto][/link]

But what about this one ?
What are we looking at here ?
🔗Nenthead-New-Smelt-Mill-Archive-Album-Image-77074[linkphoto]Nenthead-New-Smelt-Mill-Archive-Album-Image-77074[/linkphoto][/link]

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RJV
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

13 years ago

"christwigg" wrote:
Saw these go for £26 each on eBay listed as "Nenthead Coal Mining Works" (ahem)

But what about this one ?
What are we looking at here ?
🔗Nenthead-New-Smelt-Mill-Archive-Album-Image-77074[linkphoto]Nenthead-New-Smelt-Mill-Archive-Album-Image-77074[/linkphoto][/link]

Fairly lightweight (& unused) coke ovens?

jagman
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

13 years ago

"christwigg" wrote:
Saw these go for £26 each on eBay listed as "Nenthead Coal Mining Works" (ahem)

There was a small coal mine in Nent, behind the woods to the east of the hush.
Nothing to be seen of it now really

exspelio
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

13 years ago

"RJV" wrote:

"christwigg" wrote:
Saw these go for £26 each on eBay listed as "Nenthead Coal Mining Works" (ahem)

But what about this one ?
What are we looking at here ?
🔗Nenthead-New-Smelt-Mill-Archive-Album-Image-77074[linkphoto]Nenthead-New-Smelt-Mill-Archive-Album-Image-77074[/linkphoto][/link]

Fairly lightweight (& unused) coke ovens?

The raised cabin seems to be on rails, could it be the coke ovens under construction? (centre left on first pic)

Always remember, nature is in charge, get it wrong and it is you who suffers!.

John Lawson
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

13 years ago

Hi Chris,
Can we be sure the two photos were actually linked or did the seller just lump them together?
There were lots of presumed coal-workings shown on my copy of the Coalcleugh plan as you might expect.
Wallace in his notes on the discovery of Longcleugh second sun vein also suggests workings in area towards the heads of the Smallcleugh/ Longcleugh burns.
So small coal workings were worked in the Nent area, and coal can be seen on the side of the Smallcleugh horse level, from memory in the area past Proud's sump.

christwigg
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

13 years ago

Just going from what the seller wrote on two listings.

No guarantees at all its even Nenthead to be honest.

John Lawson
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

13 years ago

Hi Chris,
Whilst I have seen a lot of Nenthead photos around this time I have seen anything like the second one which is why I have doubts about it being at Nenthead.
The first almost certainly was taken after the finishing of the new Krupps gravity mill when V.M. took over.
This seems to have been the inspiration for the 'large' number of photos around this time.
I guess all concerned thought it was the dawning of a new era, which off course it was for the next 20 years or so.
Nenthead mining only coming to an end when the metal wartime subsidy was removed after the first world war.
I am excluding Haggs and Rotherhope Fell mines from this analysis.

christwigg
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

13 years ago

Indeed, its quite possible someone has paid £26 for a photo that's not even Nenthead, hence the question.

royfellows
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

13 years ago

I dont think for one minute its Nenthead, and indeed a good question is "What is it"?

Whatever it is, its mounted on rails. However, the protruding arm in the forground would slice off the post carrying cables when moving to the left.
Some kind of processing plant, but what?

My intuition tells me that its a grading plant possibly to do with coal mining, This is just an 'intuitive guess'.

My avatar is a poor likeness.

staffordshirechina
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

13 years ago

#10

The first photo is classic Nenthead, we can all see features that are instantly recognisable.
The second does look like a coking plant. I don't know much about them but they do have multiple cells that are charged, heated and then purged into a travelling hopper arrangement similar to the photo.
There was never anything like that at Nent to my knowledge.
Not really the right sort of coal in that area?

Lots of vaguely similar equipment in Staffordshire.

Les

mistericeman
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

13 years ago

#11

From my memories of working on a coking plant at British steel at Scunthorpe ...the second picture does indeed look like a early coking plant.

The rows of tall narrow doors are the give away ...and the "shed" or it's modern equivalent ("pusher" in more modern parlance)traverse the rails lifting off the doors in turn and the "arm" mentioned by Roy pushing the coke out of the far side towards the awaiting loco and train for transport under the "drenching tower" where the hot coke is quenched .

IF you watch this clip you "may" be able o spot some of the features ???

With the coal over at Ayle near to Alston would there have been any local coking plants ??? (i know that Ayle was mainly anthracite ....was that any use for the production of coke ??? )

Apologies if i am talking out of my backside as this is a bit outside my usual area of limited knowledge :surrender: