Can Anyone Remember Handsworth Coal Mine

[mickymag]

I worked at Handsworth Nunnery from being 16 years old in 1961, until it closed in 1968, when I went to work at Orgreave. I worked in the Haugh Moore seam from 16 years to 18, I was pony driving at 18 I went on coal face. I worked on 24's 25's 26's 27's 29's and 31's coal faces. The answer to the question about was Handsworth Nunnery anything to do with Sheffield Nunnery is they were joined underground in the Parkgate seam by a roadway called The Fifth South. The answer to the question about High Hazel is they were both managed by the same man but were two different mines. High Hazel was working the High Hazel seam when it closed, which was 1966. At Nunnery, the three seams worked was Parkgate, Flockton and Haugh Moore. I believe that Handsworth was also joined to Birley Pit through the Flocktons seam. The Flocktons seam closed in 1961, and the men all moved into the Haugh Moore. I have a good memory of the Nunnery in the years I mentioned earlier. Anybody interested, I will try to answer their questions.

[jacklad]

Hi. all. I'm a bit confused about about this thread, everybody seems to be talking about "The Nunnery" being located in the Handsworth area close to the Waverley pit, my dad worked at the Nunnery untill it closed & I have memories of going with him as a small child to collect his wages on pay day and it is my recollection that it was just off the junction of Manor Lane and Woodbourn Road, somewhere very near to where the Parkway now crosses, in fact I've still got an old A to Z of Sheff which shows a road off Manor lane called Nunnery Drive. He used to walk to work from our house in Fellbrig Rd. Arbourthorne, over the "eight foot" footpath from the bottom of Arbourthorne Rd, down Spring Lane then along a track beside City Rd cemetary, and down Manor Lane to get there, now I could be wrong about all this cos it was a long time ago, but are'nt the old memories much stronger than the more recent ones? Also my paternal grandad was killed in an explosion at the nunnery in April 1930 whilst working with my dad, and that's another reason to remember it. I am however quite prepared to be corrected about this if anyone can enlighten me.

you are refering to attercliffe nunnery and near sheffield centre was sheffield nunnery

 

---------- Post added 03-10-2013 at 15:42 ----------

 

Is there anyone out there who used to work at the handsworth coal mine (not orgreave ) was it called waverly,or nunery? and can remember in what year it closed down or did you have any family work there?

 

I once visited the pit and remember the baths they did not have any lockers they had bigcast iron 4 pronged hooks with a rope attached that went over a pulley in the roof.When the miners were changed they would haul there clothes up to the roof and tie the rope off.It was very dangerous to walk under the hooks as the ropes would break and if they fell on you it was curtains.

[mickymag]

Hi, to clear up the question about Handsworth Nunnery and Sheffield Nunnery. Handsworth Nunnery was located at the bottom of Finchwell Road,which is off handsworth hill. Sheffield Nunnery was located at the top of Woodburn Road where it joined Cricket Inn Road. If you worked at Handsworth the other Nunnery was called the Sheffield end, if you worked at Sheffield,it was vice versa.As I said in an earlier blog the two mines were joined underground in the Parkgate seam,this was to allow the coal mined in the Parkgate seam at Handsworth to be transported to the surface via the Sheffield end.

[bryben]

Hi, to clear up the question about Handsworth Nunnery and Sheffield Nunnery. Handsworth Nunnery was located at the bottom of Finchwell Road,which is off handsworth hill. Sheffield Nunnery was located at the top of Woodburn Road where it joined Cricket Inn Road. If you worked at Handsworth the other Nunnery was called the Sheffield end, if you worked at Sheffield,it was vice versa.As I said in an earlier blog the two mines were joined underground in the Parkgate seam,this was to allow the coal mined in the Parkgate seam at Handsworth to be transported to the surface via the Sheffield end.

 

Thanks for putting my memory right with regards to the Flockton seam, as I did stints at Orgreaves and Treeton I must have got the seams mixed up a bit what you say is true but Handsworth was always the Nunnery to me. My main interest is what happened to the steam winding engine that was close by the bath house, is there anybody out there that knows what happened to it.

[davep75]

Handsworth pit was behind Hall Road down Finchwell Road. Nunnery Colliery was just about where Makro is now. Two totally different pits.

 

I started at handsworth nunnery on my 15th birthday 1st jan 1951 tommy walker had a serious accident almost losing his leg but eventually got back to work. My best mate was Eric Richardson who went on to be a group engineer

[jacklad]

I remember Eric &his Dad both nice people&good Engineers.Eric,

's knickname was Squeeky boots!

[trevorb]

There was also a slag/spill heap at the bottom of Linley lane. Which pit was this from?

[cookingfat50]

there were dozens of small mines around that part of Sheffield there were a couple at intake one behind the fire station one in intake bottom were the terminus was lots of people had them in their back gardens only small ones but provided enough coal for their own use, the same applied to people who had small foundry's there were lots of small factories years ago

[mickymag]

In response to Davep75 I remember Tommy Walker he was a fitter on the surface I also remember Frank Farrington he was the pit blacksmith,as I didn't start at the pit till 1971, when I was 15 you might have moved on by then. I worked in the fitting shop with tommy and frank while I went underground at 16. The chap Eric you mentioned I think he was the foreman in the fitting shop at this time

[milmar]

I worked at Handsworth Pit from 1953 to 1955, I had met a Sheffield girl whilst on a Mechanisation training course on West Bar in 1952. (now been married to same lass for 59yrs) and went down Handsworth as a qualified mechanic I only let because I transferred to Maltby in 1955 the year I got married because they were offering houses for miners who where working at that Pit. had very found memories of being picked up by a private operated coach in the Wicker and taken to the Handsworth pit and picked up again when we had finished the shift. I left the mining industry in 1958 when I joined Sheffield City Police.