Wigan Album

Some great pictures here Terry. I spent many happy hours on 'the tips' as a boy. Thanks for uploading them.

Oh aye! I used to climb up there, the best play ground going!

When was it last,a working colliery?. Was it a drift mine,or were there headgears?

Where was the colliery situated? Was it near foundry lane where the new houses are now being built?

the colliery was where the new houses are being built ,i believe they have had to under-pin the new houses because they started to sink - not surprised with that land .

Albert, it had four shafts - King Pit, Queen Pit, Prince Pit, and Bye Pit. It closed in 1946, though the screens were kept open to deal with the output from opencast sites. (They were operated by William Todd). In 1931, 1,365 miners and 473 surface workers were employed.The company owned approx 2,000 railway wagons.

Thanks Loz, for the very detailed answer to my question. I never realized it was such a large colliery. It was a strange time to close the colliery, when coal was so badly needed in, 1946.

The colliery ran out of coal seams to work. When I was at Stones Colliery, Bill Sharrock who worked at Blundells told me that they took the coal left by Worsley Mesnes Colliery which closed in 1926. The shafts for Worsley Mesnes colliery were situated near the 3 blocks of flats that were in the Worsley Mesnes estate near the Crooked Wheel.A boy fell down one of the shafts and his body was never recovered.Any coal reserves that were held by Blundells were later worked by the Summersales Colliery and these stretched underground up to Windy Arbour.Don Anderson had written a book on Blundells Colliery but it is out of print now. When I was at school in the 1930s, the dumpling tip was still burning and you could smell the sulphur and see the re hot ash at night.

Thanks Fred. Another enlightening set of memories, and facts.

Very interesting information. I can't believe how many mines there were round here. Colonel Blundell built a Sunday School in Little Lane for the children. It is a garage now but you can pick it out because of the pointed roof.

Colonel Blundell also gave Alexandra Park,the bowling green opposite, The cricket field at Highfield and also the bowling green behind Enfield Street. Highfield Church was built by him as a memorial church to his wife, who had been a lady in waiting to Queen Victoria.

An excellent photo of Blundell's, taken in 1931, when still active, can be found in the book: 'The Wigan Coalfield', by Alan Davies.

A very detailed account of the explosion that occurred at the King's Pit, Pemberton,when thirty five miners lost their lives,plus five men who tried to rescue them,including the mine manager, can be found at http://www.old-merseytimes.co.uk/mining7.html

My great grandfather was killed in the 1877 explosion. I got the a/c from the archives of the Observer and re-wrote it. If anyone is interested, I can email the document to them.It gives a list of the men killed and the youngest was 13, a pony driver.

Fred I can't believe how many pits there were in Pemberton.

spent many happy summers and weekends playing skilly on the tin mine, trying to raft in the muudy murky large pools just to the side and getting a clout if your shoes got sucked into the mud never to be seen again, swinging in the trees in Blue bell wood an sliding down the tips, who needed play grounds. Our childhoods were brilliant, we were so lucky not to have X boxes and playstations. Good times!!

I live in one of the houses built there in 2017, against the woods. I’m trying to work out where the shaft was? Tried looking for maps etc but can only find photos. Northstone owned by peel holdings are developing the rest of where the colliery was now

I live in one of the houses built there in 2017, against the woods. I’m trying to work out where the shaft was? Tried looking for maps etc but can only find photos. Northstone owned by peel holdings are developing the rest of where the colliery was now

Hi Dave
the queen pit shaft is /was on the carpark of the pimrose pub
turn right as you go in the car park after the last space a small square painted on floor (now fading)