Gin Pit Village. Walking Industrial History Black Holes and Silver Screens

[@epicflange]

FYI for any viewers, Peaky Blinders Series 6 was film here! Also, series 4 (maybe 5) was filmed at the Astley Green Colliery

[@Gillmeister2465]

The opening scene was filmed at North Featherstone west Yorkshire. It was Ackton Hall colliery, first pit I worked at, closed in 1985, many scenes were filmed in Featherstone. The young actor who played young Sam, Kevin Moreton told me that as it was Granada Television who were filming the production, it was cheaper for the film crews to film in gin pit village near Leigh, and nearer to the Granada Manchester studios, that's from the horses mouth Kev Moreton, a Pontefract lad and a fellow biker I see at the bike cafe quite often. Just saying

[@rossendalecollieries7995]

Cheers for clarification, I had always thought the opening scene and some of the others were Bickershaw, but I stand to be corrected. Yes I know Acton Hall, Remember following Widnes to Post Office rd just as they were pulling it down and spending a good part of the match looking at it. I did have a vid ...old VHS of the man riding shaft which was a bit further away, though the name escapes me. It was given to me by Ralph, who was ex manager at Newmarket and an instructor at Whitwood tech, there was a good bit on Ledstone Luck as well...sadly I lent it out and never saw it again. If your biking anytime in the North Pennines, try the Nook Cafe just outside Alston, they also have the Roman fort on their land. Thanks again Clive

[@Gillmeister2465]

@@rossendalecollieries7995 Hiya Clive it was Ackton Hall colliery but the manriding shaft was Ackworth pit about 3 miles away, all the coal run through Ackworth to Ackton Hall as we called Featherstone end,. Any more info give me a shout

[@robertscholey109]

wish I remembered this one as it is what I would have enjoyed

[@andrewrobinson987]

Brilliant content, I remember Sam well from back in the day….go tend to Grandad Toby’s Pigeons 😁 Local history’s fascinating, I suppose we always get to find out the good & bad points about it, it’s the conclusion we draw from it that important & hopefully learn from it in a positive manner.

[@DaysofHorror]

Another brilliant video. I've never heard of Sam but will try and find it 👍 Also, it's nice to see you talking about your father and the jobs you have both done. It's interesting and I'm sure a few people will relate to it.

[@rossendalecollieries7995]

I was reading a book in library on monday and a lot of history and good information about Moorfield and theblast...would be good for you if your going to cover it

[@DaysofHorror]

@@rossendalecollieries7995 Can you remember the name of the book? Ive already started writing down some notes ready to use in an upcoming story covering the disaster. I'll also be visiting the site to do a video to accompany the story, so if your ever available and want to come along for the journey, just let me know 👍

[@sebweaver47]

I think we used to go for wood at the Timber yard just off the lancs At gin pit village??

[@williammccoll215]

Thoroughly enjoyed your walk and talk . And probably understand quite a lot of it coming from ayrshire when the pits went the community's were decimated and after all these years they still are .

[@patriot6251]

I was about 8/9 when I used to watch SAM I used to run home from school to watch it park my self up and wait .happy days

[@rossendalecollieries7995]

I used to love it myself, great characters. A bit like 'when the Boat comes in', you got drawn into the dynamic of the families involved.

[@davefay100]

it was a damn hard way to earn a meagre living as a man but it needed strong women to hold it all together....

[@MakeAllThingsBeautiful]

I can't remember Sam! but i remember bread n dripping and the 3 day week and Slade and Sweet. I didn't realise at the time how hedonistic the music was in the 80's. As the unions got stronger and more and more workers rights .... all those proper industries went, i'm sort of anti unions now, when a union action demands a fair wage ... and they have to push for a decrease ... then i'll think about what they have to say but until then who wants to listen to the greed talking?

[@rossendalecollieries7995]

We all have different opinions and experience Robert. Slade and Sweet..they were the best and yes it changed in the 80's. If you look on my channel for the video...Hapton Valley closure...that gives you my take on a situation that I experienced with Unions. Sadly when people get power over others they misuse it. I would encourage you to read Fines History of the miners of Northumberland and Durham though...it goes into the early history of the Unions and men who just stood up for what was right. Really appreciate your input Robert

[@MakeAllThingsBeautiful]

@@rossendalecollieries7995 i worked for the NCB in 1982, I was on at least £21 an hour, i got £10 travelling money a week, around 2 tonnes of free coal a year, 3 sets of workwear all washed and ironed a week if i wanted, showers, subsidised canteen, snap notes, early notes, cheap loan for the boiler, i got extra for carry a lamp, also being a first aider, and unlimited medical supplies, also spanners shovels from the stores, many got houses as well, i think the nail in the coffin for coal mining was the 7 1/4 hour shift x 5, so unless coal price was sky high it was always gonna be expensive. Appreciate working conditions were bad and the unions did good work ... but i think ultimately like so many industries ... it was just to difficult for an employer to make money. Some workings took well over an hour to get to .. and on a friday you can guess what it was like, we were all starting the long migration probably 2 hours or so before end of shift! You were a proper miner, respect to you.

[@rossendalecollieries7995]

@@MakeAllThingsBeautiful Yeh My stay with the NCB was short. However The Valley was different in that...though it was an old pit, the area they were working wasn't too far inbye. Te manager was unpopular with just about everybody...including area but...he was a good manager. Pit well laid out and most men could be inbye in around half an hour. Man rider down drift then either bottom belt in Union seam or man rider in top bed. No silly union rules...everybody mucked in..small hard working family pit. But remember going on rescue trainings at Ellington and the long journey in...yeh...how could you make that work on 7 and a quarter hours. I did my Deputies practical at Kellingly in 89...remember one day the face stopped after half an hour...so 7 ish...I was talking to face captain who was an old school Cumbrian from Solway colliery... They got the face going finally at 20 to bait...men sat in gate except for 2 frantic fitters trying to get the machine going. I asked the face captain ...since they had been sat since seven... wont they work through bait now?...oh no...they will stop for bait...I was flabbergasted. We only got payed for what we filled...I found that hard to understand...the attitude that day...The face captain also had a look of shame.

[@MakeAllThingsBeautiful]

@@rossendalecollieries7995 you probably know it but there is a youtube channel : michael szepeta he does short videos around 5 mins on collieries, he's covered around 150 plus. I noticed how even big producing mines would break all records, have a refit with new winding gear and underground bunkers or a new washing plant ... and then be closed a year later!