Wigan Album
parkside colliery
11 Comments
Photo: Graham Carr
Item #: 9111
it is extremely low at this point,in fact i could not go any further to take the photo because if i had i would not have been able to turn around to come back as there was insufficient height,about 2 feet.As can be seen the chock beams are touching the panzer spillplates,i can tell you this was not the place to be if you are claustrophobic,the place was crunching and banging all the time and of all the places i have been taking photos down the pit i was glad to see the back of this one,it was a nightmare.
Ordinary pitmen weren't allowed to take pics underground - what was your position?
Hi,i was appointed photographer at the pit as well as being a development worker and i was given literally,permission to
photograph underground wheneaver i wished to do so.Obviously
British Coal could call me out at any time to take photos of
all kinds of things and the agreeement worked very well.
PS:There is no sutch thing as an ordinary pitman and in my experience of working in the industry for many years,most of them show extraordinary skills.It is a breed that unfortunately we will never see the likes of again.
Well said Graham, my Dad, my Grandad and Great Grandad were pitmen, as were just about all the men in the neighbourhood where I grew up. You are right, there was nothing ordinary about any of them. Most of today's young men, don't have the strength and definitely not the courage to go down a coal mine everyday.
I work w31s face on my last shift at Parkside and your right there is no ordinary miners only special men. We stayed late that afternoon shift expecting to work the following day and i planed to bring a piece of coal up the pit. Only to come in the next day to find the pit had closed and I was out of work with 2 young children.
well said graham. dieing breed we have {died} mate
Great u/g photographs Graham. I took photographs u/g in the East Midlands pits for accident site investigations. Used a Pentax K1000 with the battery taken out (contraband) on adapted miner's dial tripod. No flash allowed u/g so I "painted" the exposure area with a cap lamp whilst camera was on B (bulb) setting for long exposure. Looks like you did much the same.
Hi Ian,yes the technique was very much the same only the Coal Board provided me with FLP flashguns.All the colour shots underground where taken using colour correction filters and i used 3 cameras in total,a K100 like yourself,a Canon F1 and a Nikon FM,all with the batteries removed.
I agree with all the above comments pit men were a special breed. I was the overman on W31 and took the phone call off the manager to park the cutter up in the main gate after the quickest two cuts of coal before snap. Coal was never to be cut again in Lancashire. As everybody said at the time fuel prices would go up! Well done Maggie you ripped the heart out of a great work force.
Now then Graham how you doing? That last days production I was supposed to be on at midnight but got a call to come in for the normal Friday early start night shift. It meant I got to spend the last shift with the great face team I had worked with for years. After using the bottom cutter to create some space I remember asking Alan (not sure of last name) to turn the machine off and he said that's the last time that wheel will turn. And Barry as we were setting props on the face side I picked up a few pieces of the last coal cut in a Lancashire mine. Very proud to say I still have some.
Good to hear from you Ste last time I saw you was at Knowsley Rd after another win for the Saints. I can remember on the phone at W31's panels from Mike Ramsey he had just been told to park the cutter up by the area director. We had taken tow cuts off before snap. The men were gutted and knew it was the end of the Lancashire coal field. I keep my lamp and a lump of coal in my office at school, the kids think my mining assemblies are great.