Chatterley Whitfield - Stoke - July 2011
Visited with NickUK
Since seeing a load of report's crop up on this place last year, it sat high on my list and I don't know why I haven't done this sooner, but it now also sits very high on my 'favourite explores'. Climbing the headstocks was great fun, the rumours of buildings being made more secure and new palisade fences were all true...
Chatterley Whitfield Colliery is a disused coal-mine in Stoke-on-Trent. It was the largest in North Staffordshire, and was the first colliery to produce 1,000,000 tons of saleable coal in a year.
In 1974 it was decided that Chatterley Whitfield coal could be more easily worked from Wolstanton Colliery and an underground roadway was driven to join the two pits. In 1976 coal drawing at Chatterley Whitfield came to an end. Two years later, a Trust was formed to establish the Chatterley Whitfield Mining Museum. The Museum, which offered an underground tour to visitors, operated for twelve years, but finally closed in August 1991 because of drainage problems...
Time to climb...
Shortly after the above shot there was a hilarious moment where the security guard on site stopped, looked right up at us on the headstock, scratched his head and just carried on patrolling, it was awkward to say the least but he hadn't aactually seen us, fair play, they were active for sure...
Power / Winding house...
By this point, we'd ran out of steam. 2 headstocks to go... we'll be back
Visited with NickUK
Since seeing a load of report's crop up on this place last year, it sat high on my list and I don't know why I haven't done this sooner, but it now also sits very high on my 'favourite explores'. Climbing the headstocks was great fun, the rumours of buildings being made more secure and new palisade fences were all true...
Chatterley Whitfield Colliery is a disused coal-mine in Stoke-on-Trent. It was the largest in North Staffordshire, and was the first colliery to produce 1,000,000 tons of saleable coal in a year.
In 1974 it was decided that Chatterley Whitfield coal could be more easily worked from Wolstanton Colliery and an underground roadway was driven to join the two pits. In 1976 coal drawing at Chatterley Whitfield came to an end. Two years later, a Trust was formed to establish the Chatterley Whitfield Mining Museum. The Museum, which offered an underground tour to visitors, operated for twelve years, but finally closed in August 1991 because of drainage problems...
Time to climb...
Shortly after the above shot there was a hilarious moment where the security guard on site stopped, looked right up at us on the headstock, scratched his head and just carried on patrolling, it was awkward to say the least but he hadn't aactually seen us, fair play, they were active for sure...
Power / Winding house...
By this point, we'd ran out of steam. 2 headstocks to go... we'll be back
