mines

Does any reader's on W.W. remember a drift mine up top of "windy arbour" left by the old arbour pit down toward simms lane end it's name was QUAKER HOUSE COLLIERY privately owned by the "ANDERTON'S" MY FATHER worked for him in the mid 50s thro 1968ish also my elder brother Wilfred did a spell there before he went to REEDS C.C. at goose green just wish to know if anyone has any memories !!!!!

some of my mates worked at quaker pit and windy harbour must have been late 70s,they certainly earned their money.they ended up coming back with british coal where I was ,I think they worked for ATC.

Golden bear type in quaker house colliery in search above

The drift 'up top of Windy Arbor' was called Castle Colliery.
Quaker House was 'down the other side of Windy Arbor'!

yes i worked there wen i left school . there,s a picture in photo,s of wigan in album under the work section.

didnt know that stey what did you do their

hi colin , dont know if you knew that john anderson worked at golborne for a spell . he was on the bickershaw tunnel.

Thanks PeterP did just that and printed photo off all I wish for now is for some one to remember them for me that would be great!

GB see Whups post ^^^^^^ on this photo every one is namedAlso just type MINES into search box

golden Bear --tell your Wilf Dougie his head off when he knew he had worked at a Walker-down-pit before coming to Reeds,tell him I can see now why he had a suntan as it must have been with lifting a sod up to see if it was raining or not --

I seem to remember Summerscales up that neck of the woods

UTT Summersales was at Pemberton workings going out to Winstanley/Highfield

one of the lads I knew that worked at the drift mines was Phil Gavin from st,helens,does anyone know the owners of quaker and windy harbour,?.I used to know but memory default.

answering my own question possibly was it Lavins,?

donald anderson owned the quaker pit . dont know who had windy harbour.

Happy memories of filling the frozen bags ,Coal Baggin' for Syd Melling.
Always shouting "Pack em thin!"

thanks whups,

stan richardson worked at windy arbour and said the conditions were bad , working waist high in water but that was private colliery.

I worked at most of the privately owned pits around Winstanley and Billinge including Quaker house. They used the old pillar and stall mining system with siscol cutter. Very wet colliery, I didn't stay long. It was indeed owned at one stage by Donald Anderson who invented the anderton sheerer {coal cutter.} I also worked at Pony Dick colliery,which was just in the dip at the bottom of winstanley. Also windy arbour colliery, Lavins colliery at Garswood and Hillside colliery at Billinge I finished my Mining career at Associated tunnelling company. A good company to work for if you were a miner. Very hard and dangerious work but top money.

It wasn't Donald Anderson who didn't invent the Anderton Shearer (coal cutter). It was James Anderton who didn't invent it.

Whilst not inventing the Anderton Shearer, he came up with the idea of a 'loader' added to a shearer designed by Anderson Boyes engineering. He thought of the Anderton 'Shearer Loader'!

once again tonker a fountain of knowledge.

my old chap worked at some of those mines aqui aqui.

I worked at Summersales Colliery straight from leaving School,1958.Housing Estate now one of My mates lives on there

Oliver Rigby owned Windy Harbour there was another drift mine near Quaker pit

I worked on the Rushy Park seam in Ravenhead colliery as I was doing my shotfiring training and the original Anderton shearer was on that face. I was told that the original shearer was made by fitters in the central workshops at Haydock and Jimmy Anderton took the credit for the invention
the original machine was adapted from an AB15 longwall machine. The gearhead was removed and turned on its side and a cutting head fitted instead of the chain. The original drum was only 20inches in diameter and used to travel up and down the face twice, after which as it did its second run, the shotties fired the tops down and these were loaded via the plough as the machine came back down the face

I read that the idea was patented by the NCB and the prototype was made by Anderson Boyes in Scotland, Fred!

tonker once again bang on Anderson Boyes ,correct AB double disc machine ,BJD had similar machines.not sure what the initials stood for.

British Jeffrey Diamond!

thanks phred,

My brother Wilfred winstanley worked at Quaker House I think he used to tell me he and another bloke used to drill holes the other guy was Jimmy Harrison anyone know them? Our kid tells me he used to be up to his thighs many time with water when I was ready for leaving highfield sec mod in 1962 just before that my dad ( THOMAS WINSTANLEY ) Arranged for me one Sunday to walk down with the fireman as he was doing checks or something ,bloody hell when we got near bottom he switched my lights out god how black it was I have never been anywhere since that was that dark. So twas time to come up I know I was supposed to be fit but again bloody nora I was knackered half way up so after some discussion with my dad I decided to go into a butchers shop for my first job ,never been down since! again if any of you knew or know WILF OR MY LATE DAD TOMMY WINSTANLEY WOULD LOVE TO HEARFROM YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GOLDEN BEAR I personally didnt know them but the blackness in the tunnels was unimaginable.

THIS IS FOR ( DOUGIE 3137) I HAVE A REPLY FOR YOU FROM WILF
HE SAYS (QUOTE) GO AND HAVE A PISS YOU DONT EVEN KNOW WHAT A MINE LOOKS LIKE(( UNQUOTE)) HOPE THIS IS SOMETHING YOU TWO UNDERSTAND BECAUSE I DONT ,BYE MATE.

Dougie said--nice to see he's not changed why rolling his cap --

Hello Dougie,
Wilf 's reply to you is this he maintains the amount of coal you managed to get up wouldn't fill a budgies cage,never mind a tub!!
Bye Doug from Alan.