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Photos of Wigan
Photos of Wigan



Wigan Album

Bickershaw colliery

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No.3 shaft bottom
No.3 shaft bottom
Photo: John Taylor
Views: 2,369
Item #: 22476
2. A view in the opposite direction to that in view No.1, and looking towards the coal tipplers at the bottom of No.4 shaft. The cylindrical tipplers transferred the coal brought by conveyor and individual skip from the coal face into the large skip (not visible as it was below the tipplers) that would wind 10 tons of coal in a single wind to the surface. Here it would be easily transferred to waiting conveyors on the surface and carried across Plank Lane to the washing and screening areas.

Harold tells me that Bickershaw was the first colliery in the country to introduce skip winding in 1934, which is how these pictures can be dated with reasonable accuracy. Major Hart who was the owner of the colliery at that time apparently went to Germany to investigate the merits of the process before deciding to invest in it at Bickershaw.

As an interesting aside during World War 2 the skip-winding equipment, provided I think by Siemens, failed bringing production to a halt. Major Hart, not to be outdone sought out suitably qualified and experienced staff who were German P.O.W’s - quite possibly from the nearby camp at Haydock. These P.O.W.’s were able to repair the machinery and the colliery re-commenced winding again.

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