Coal mines in Yorkshire?

[chem1st]

A brilliant piece of writing in the above link;

 

It was a battle between brains and brawn, money men and grafters. Margaret Thatcher and the Tory Government of the time were insistent that coal mining in this country was uneconomic and expensive and could be imported for less, and that deregulation of financial markets would make everyone rich.

They were wrong, on both counts. Maybe the coal industry was uneconomic at the time, but that was a short-term view, whilst financial freedom has simply led to polarised communities, with the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. On election in 1997, Tony Blair vowed to eradicate poverty, but this has proved nigh on impossible thanks to the untamed monster that Thatcher and her friends created, allowing financial experts to create more ingenious ways to make money. Maybe the pain that they are currently suffering is some form of social justice.

Margaret Thatcher and her Government may have had valid points, and ultimately an argument that could have been won. Deep down though, she believed that the strike was unjustified, and it presented her with an opportunity to flex her political muscles and hone her Iron Lady image. And that she did.

However, what has caused most damage and hurt was the virtual abandonment of coalfield communities that followed, communities that were raised on coal, that relied on the industry for their living. Told to “get on their bikes” to find new sources of employment, such communities became alienated from mainstream life, with the now recognised social ills of such public policy (drug and alcohol abuse, health issues, housing problems) spiralling out of control.

[cat631]

The only opencast site I know of locally is between Woodhouse Mill and Swallownest, at the bottom of Fence Hill. It's not a very big one but is easily visible from the main road.

If you would like to visit more in other parts of the country, please let me know and I will get you their addresses.

Orgreave OCCS has now finished but it may be of interest to you to see what an opencast coal site looks like when the land is reinstated.

[happyhippy]

Threads merged

[Mikewilson]

I worked at a few collierys in the Yorkshire areas. Happy days but by it was hard graft. I have finally just been paid for my White finger services which really has come at a good time. Its only took them 15 years.

[RickyO]

My father worked at Tinsley Park colliery which closed I think in the 40's or 50's. In fact he was buried by a roof fall in the early forties but was rescued and survived the ordeal. He died in 1991.

[raymondo1952]

thinking back 50yrs remember playing on the pit hills top of woodbourn road, they were the spoils of the pit, also near there was a farm called cowlyshaws that was the entertainment of the day The pit was called something nunnery

[xenia]

A brilliant piece of writing in the above link;

 

I think this lad is just wondering where the pits were, maybe he can work out for himself why they arent there anymore.

 

If he does research it I hope he will come back on here, look at the drivel you have spouted and correct you.

[Cookingfat]

there are dozens in sheffield alone there was one at manor top where the fire station is, one further down near traffic lights on mansfield rd on the left hand side by the noahs ark pub, one at handsworth, like i said dozens of them i heard of many men digging their back gardens up to find coal as for yorkshire goodness knows how many there were