mary banks
11 years ago
I was a deputy at Lofthouse Colliery and we used to do Inspections of Wrenthorpe Shaft and Pit bottom areas
also we checked a well shaft out on the surface on the
Sunday day shift,I worked on coal faces near the Wrenthorpe
shaft ,and on the weekend we yous to ride this shaft and
and be transported back to Lofthouse by the pit van or open
wagon,this was not good if it was raining.
Tony Banks[center]
Darran Cowd
11 years ago
Tony, was this the same shaft as Wrenthorpe Colliery, the site of which became the No. 7 Wakefield area NCB HQ, central area workshops and traning centre at Newton Hill (now Wakefield Council's works and offices).

Only reason I ask that I've just come across a brochure at work showing designs for the Workshops and it also talk about reconditioning 'Wrenthorpe shaft' and using it to connect up to underground training galleries, any coal produce was 'to be sent underground to Lofthouse Colliery for disposal'...
inbye
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11 years ago
"Darran Cowd" wrote:

Tony, was this the same shaft as Wrenthorpe Colliery, the site of which became the No. 7 Wakefield area NCB HQ, central area workshops and traning centre at Newton Hill (now Wakefield Council's works and offices).

Only reason I ask that I've just come across a brochure at work showing designs for the Workshops and it also talk about reconditioning 'Wrenthorpe shaft' and using it to connect up to underground training galleries, any coal produce was 'to be sent underground to Lofthouse Colliery for disposal'...



It would have been interesting to see how this could have been practical. The training galleries at Newton Hill were only around 15 feet deep & accessed by a concrete stairway from the classrooms above. When it was time for a smoke break you could walk thro' a pair of realistic looking air doors & emerge from a grass bank into the staff car park.
Regards, John...

Huddersfield, best value for money in the country, spend a day there & it'll feel like a week........
mary banks
11 years ago
The Training Centre was a seperate thing to the Mine Shaft
and had no connection to the shaft apart from the trainee
miners going on visits.I did my Training at the centre in 1957
Mr Netherwood was the Manager
Tony Banks[center]
Darran Cowd
11 years ago
I'm very tempted to take a walk up there and see what's left of the training gallery emtrances, not that's there looks to be much when I've been past recently - there appears to have been a fair of landscaping since the sites NCB days. You'll probably all like to take a look at this !
http://www.aditnow.co.uk/documents/Personal-Album-3279/NCB-No-7-Wakefield-Area-Workshops-and-Training-Centre-Brochure.pdf 
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11 years ago

Well the "air door" entrance was in the steep bank to left of the buildings (in the photo) just out of shot behind where the two blokes are standing. This was also how the pony (Star?) was led into the gallery. The gallery was arranged in broadly a rectangle with a face at one end, a main & tail gate & a cross gate. Although it was just like being down a real pit I suspect it was built almost as a *basement* to the workshops above.
The lamproom was equipped with obsolete (1967) CEAG Superlite alkaline cap lamps.
Regards, John...

Huddersfield, best value for money in the country, spend a day there & it'll feel like a week........
mary banks
11 years ago
That was great to look back on, as you may know the old canteen building still stands, in the last several week they have
knocked the old NCB office block down and the land is up
for sale ,its a shame I did not get a photo .
Tony Banks[center]
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