The Old Ganister Pit Parkwood Springs

[old tup]

Around the the mid 50s as schoolkids we were always messing about around Parkwood Springs on the rec or the woodside were there wasn,t a tree growing,supposedly because they were all cut down for firewood in the 20s.We used to mess about in the quarry and the old allotments it was a kids paradise,one of my favourite pastimes was playing on the shale heaped by the side of the ganister pit.I used to split the large pieces to reveal fossils of prehistoric insects and small animals thousands of years old which had been excavated from hundreds of feet below ground,it used to fascinate me for hours my imagination working overtime being the first person to see them since their demise all those many milleniums ago.Happy days with not a care in the world!.

[retep]

Around the the mid 50s as schoolkids we were always messing about around Parkwood Springs on the rec or the woodside were there wasn,t a tree growing,supposedly because they were all cut down for firewood in the 20s.We used to mess about in the quarry and the old allotments it was a kids paradise,one of my favourite pastimes was playing on the shale heaped by the side of the ganister pit.I used to split the large pieces to reveal fossils of prehistoric insects and small animals thousands of years old which had been excavated from hundreds of feet below ground,it used to fascinate me for hours my imagination working overtime being the first person to see them since their demise all those many milleniums ago.Happy days with not a care in the world!.

 

I can remember picking up a couple of pieces of petrified tree above the pit.

[bullerboY]

The lads from Shirecliffe used to hang out here,I used to go to the quarry on cold foggy Saturday mornings and sit there ,it was very erie and quiet and yes the imagination ran wild.Now the quarry has gone,all filled in as is the mine.