In a recent posting on the subject of the Alan Shaw collection of images curtaintwitcher pointed out that the New Mills Photographic Archive was a good example of how things could be done. Inspired to have a look I soon discovered an unidentified image that was clearly a colliery engine house. With my deep interest in colliery history the chase was on to try to find the location.

A first look in the Disley area came up blank due to the boundaries that looked as if they matched on the map turned out to be hedges rather than stone walls. The second attempt was a success and the present day view shows enough that hasn't changed to be sure that this is the correct location. I am now sure that this image shows a vertical winding engine house, very similar to that at Waterloo Colliery on Bings Road in Whaley Bridge. This one is on a shaft of the Bank End Colliery alongside the Peak Forest Canal at grid reference SK001844, just on the western edge of Furness Vale. The shaft is marked on the 1st edition 1:2500 OS map, but no engine house is shown.

The presence of this engine came as a complete surprise. I can find no map anywhere that shows an engine house at this location, not even the Tithe Map. What cannot be denied is that it existed and was of some considerable age when the photograph was made (the collection from which it came has images dating from between 1887 and 1913, with the majority being 1895 to 1904). I have discussed the building with a friend of mine who is fairly knowledgeable about these things and he is of the opinion that it might date back to the 1830s or even the 1820s. The shaft was about 80ft deep and an engine of the size sugested by the building would have easily managed the output of this small colliery and some. The shaft was on the side away from the canal and this allowed the tubs to be banked at a higher level than the canal using the natural rise in the land. If you look at the image which is slightly wider in aspect, you can see the curve that would have brought the tub rails to a tippler by the canal above the stone retaining wall.

The modern image is of the same location today from about the same position for the camera, although the focal length is somewhat different. The engine house has been demolished in on itself and an examination of the field shows rubble in that position. The retaining wall has been lowered, but on the ground the surface there contains a lot of coal that has spilled when tipping.

In my opinion the engine must date from early nineteenth century, possibly when the colliery was being operated by Thomas Boothman. It was only later that the Halls went back into the workings between 1868 and 1873 to remove the pillars of coal left by the earlier occupiers.

I am grateful to New Mills Local History Society for allowing me to post the historic images to this forum. Copyright remains with the Society.

Edited by user 24 July 2012 12:52:44(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

tarboat attached the following image(s):

I am told that there is a capped shaft in one of the back gardens opposite St. John's Church.