Birkby Drift Mine, Dearham, Cumbria

Mine exploration, photographs and mining history for mine explorers, industrial archaeologists, researchers and historians

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Spires
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

7 years ago

Many thanks to Johnlist67 for posting pictures of this mine. It brought back happy memories, when as a young lad living in nearby Crosby village in the 1960's, enjoyed climbing to the top of the spoil tip of this mine. I remember the distinctive smell of the coal waste at the top and the rusting tipping barrier. I will try to find any pictures (slides) taken and then submit them. Regards, Paul.

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Buckhill
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Newbie

7 years ago

Yes, a couple of nice pics, but how it's changed. I'm guessing they're 1950s not long after closure from the size of the tip and lack of vegetation. The steelwork of the screens building is still standing but is now well hidden by trees and scrub which cover the banks on both sides of the railway.

Known originally as Birkby Colliery the mine became the Birkby and Albright Colliery after the new drift opened in 1929 but was known locally as "Dearham Drifts". Taken over by NCB it closed in 1950. More confusing is that it lay midway between Dearham and Crosby while at Birkby itself the small private drift mine, closed 1952, was Ellenbank Colliery.

The Lonsdale Pit was in the middle of Dearham. It was last worked in the 1890s.

Dochol
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

7 years ago

Seeing a lot these mines were still working in the 50-60’s, are there likely to be official photographs taken by the NCB in existence anywhere, or was the coal board not interested in recording such places as and when they closed? There were so many collieries in West Cumbria at the time but so few photographs seem to appear apart from those of the larger pits eg Haig, Harrington, Solway etc

Buckhill
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Newbie

7 years ago

From time to time a photographer used to appear, usually in connection with some installation or other. A lot were taken at Haig when the FSVs and skip winding were introduced (to cope with the bonanza of the "South Side":lol:).

Photos of pit tops don't seem to be common - perhaps as you say no interest when they were working, even less after they shut. Most of the pictures I have, or have seen, come from the media and commercial or private collections. If the NCB took any they must be in the CA archives somewhere.