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Drift Mine


roy1942

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in 1950s/60s if you walked to catcliffe via infield lane past high hazels park along the so called drug road you would pass a drift mine does anyone remember such a place.

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This might give you a start Roy1942

It has what I think are some map co-ordinates, but I don't know how to use them in that form.

PHASE 2 GEOTECHNICAL AND GEO-ENVIRONMENTAL SITE INVESTIGATION
ADVANCED MANUFACTURING RESEARCH CENTRE,
ADVANCED MANUFACTURING PARK, WAVERLEY,
CATCLIFFE, ROTHERHAM
FOR
THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD

The 1905/06 maps indicate that High Hazels Colliery (Nos. 1 & 2 Pits) has developed near
New Hold. High Hazels No. 3 Pit is shown in the north-east corner of the Waverley site
around 44160 38814. The 1906 map shows topographic contours indicating a general WSW to
ENE slope of the land from some 250 ft OD (76 mOD) to 150 ft OD (46 mOD). The River
Rother is indicated as lying at slightly below 100 ft OD (30 mOD). By the map of 1923 a drift
mine entrance can be seen
between High Hazels Nos. 1 & 2 pits and High Hazels No. 3 pit,
at around 44113 38791
On the map of 1935, High Hazels No. 3 pit is marked as “disused”, while the High Hazels Drift
mine is marked as “Old Drift
”. The area around pits Nos. 1 & 2 (no longer marked) has seen
the major development of the “High Hazels Bye Product Coke Ovens” complex along the
southern margin of the Waverley Development site. The High Hazels coke works are believed
to have been built around 1919 (WYG 2000). High Hazels No. 2 Colliery was subsequently
established as a Drift mine
to the Furnace (in 1937-38) and the High Hazels (in 1953) Seams.
The map of 1938 shows Handsworth Colliery at around 44100 38690, and that of 1948 shows
an associated Drift at around 44070 38750
. By 1948 there are fully developed mine complexes
at Tinsley Park and Orgreave. Orgreave also has an associated Coke Oven plant.
By 1956/57,

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Rather late this, as I have only just been approved

I remember a drift mine from about 1950. I think it said 'Haigh Seam' over the arch. It was near to the south side of the railway bridge which carried Waverley Lane over the LNER (ex GCR) line and close to the conveyor belt which brought coal over the fields from Handsworth Colliery to the screens by the railway. It seemed to descend roughly parallel to the conveyor, back towards the pit. I don't remember it being excavated, but I do remember a time before it was there, and before the conveyor belt, when there was a narrow gauge railway, cable hauled, bringing the coal across the fields in short trains of 3 or 4 tubs, and the empties back to the pit. This narrow gauge track is marked at the bottom of the old map given by the link in the second reply.

Living in Handsworth we approached it via Waverley Lane, which follows the line of the Parkway. In those days it was an ash track which left Handsworth Road opposite Clifton Lane, went steeply downhill and then steeply up again, past the end of Hall Road on the left, with a field on the right where we used to sledge. At the top of the hill it was joined from the right by a wider ash track coming in from Halesworth Road, and continued behind the houses on Larch Hill. The field on the right here had an old railway coach for a changing room, before that an old tram body. We were told this was Brown Bayley's sports ground. After Larch Hill there was a tip on the left and another sports ground and some cottages that still exist on the right – Waverley Cottages. This part is now tarmaced and according to Goolge earth is called Quarry Road. The track of the conveyor belt seems to be a footpath – I no longer live in Sheffield so I can't check first hand. After crossing the railway bridge there was an abandoned siding with some derelict wagons which we used to play in, and plenty of waste ground where I have flown model aircraft. Further on there was a disused pithead gear, much smaller than the working one at Handsworth. This might have been High Hazels No. 3, judging by the old maps.

Looking east from the railway bridge you could see a footbridge over the railway which was on a path from Finchwell Road and led to a small wood, Spring Wood, which had wonderful bluebells, but which was totally destroyed by opencast coal working – as was the middle part of Bowden Housteads Wood – vandalism.

The map numbers in the reply are Ordnance Survey grid references. The drift associated with Handsworth Colliery at 44070 38750, the last one given, is about the right place. The other references are all north of the railway.

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Hello and welcome Gordon, and thanks for your patience in waiting for validation.

An excellent first post and very informative.

Have a read through other topics the forum, see if there's anything else you can add to. It doesn't matter how old the posts are, all input is valued.

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Looking at the route from Infield Lane, Darnall to Catcliffe, it may be that the drift mine roy1942 is referring to, is the one outside the old club house of Rother Vale Golf Course? I've attached some images and maps, to illustrate this and although I have no information as to when the Golf Course closed, it appears on earlier maps to have been Milkhouse Farm? Looking at maps from 1894 > 1949, it seems to have transformed from farm to clubhouse, with the land being made suitable for golf, with the decimation of Tinsley Park Wood on its South Eastern end (known at that time as Catcliffe Delves). The other drift mine that Gordon has correctly identified at the southern end of the Waverley Lane rail bridge is also marked up on the map. There's lot of reference material online, but sadly I have no personal recollections of the dates roy1942 is asking about, as at time I would maybe still have been a glint in the milkman's eye?!

http://maps.nls.uk/view/100950113 (drift mine is just below and right of intersection of grid lines, where red numbers show 88 horizontal and 41 vertical

http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/epw038994 (drift mine building can be seen on far right push pin)

http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16&lat=53.38599&lon=-1.38472&layers=171 (and using this map and the slider on the sidebar, you can fade the old map in and out, over the current landscape)

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Intrigued as to what might still be visible of these industrial landmarks, I had a stroll around the circuit on the map on Sunday afternoon:

Left the car just off Whittle Way (green pin) and went round the new road, tuned off on to a footpath and over the footbridge, up the hill past Handsworth Colliery, across the path above the spoil heap and after the football pitches, turned right at Waverley Cottages, down Quarry Road.

1./ There doesn't seem to be anything left of the Haigh Moor Drift Mine, apart from a red brick boundary wall, heading down Quarry Road toward the railway bridge. Had a peek through and over, to see what could be seen, but it is wild and overgrown and it was wet through, so didn't fancy wading through grass and nettles up to my waist. Access by the railway bridge is now blocked by a run of security fencing (probably to prevent trespass on the railway), so didn't go any further.

2./ Looking here for any sign of High Hazels 1 & 2 and the old coke ovens to the right. Not a sausage and has been obliterated by bulldozers and landscaped. Just newly planted trees and long grass, with wire fencing and a footpath through. Some unusual looking pipes poking out of the ground, which at a guess may be vents from the old workings? Not sure why they'd do this, but they were scattered about and seemed like they had some purpose?

3./ High Hazels 3 should have been here, but it was right on the road side, opposite Boundary Mills and Morrisons. Again, no sign of any structure, but there's some road construction work under way and the trenching is bringing up piles of whole red bricks, which could have been some of the pit buildings?... or is that just wishful thinking?

4./ Back up Highfield Spring and on to Morse Way, with an attempt to find the drift mine, which started this whole thread. Using some landmarks for reference, the drift mine should have been right on the top of my number 4 on the map. Sadly, once again the bulldozers had turned the whole area into a featureless landscape, with no defining features and no hint of what was here before.

Right on the elbow of Morse Way, running into Whittle Way, took a quick detour up the hill, toward where the old coke ovens should have been. Again, nothing to be seen, so turned around and went back to the car

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