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Peter Pan's Cave - Junction Colliery, Woodhouse?


RLongden

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East of Woodhouse at the end of Junction Road (prev. Long Storrs Lane), on the right opposite the signal box, there is an open plot of land with what looks like a semi-submerged railway tunnel (marked in red on attached aerial view). In my 1970's childhood, it was colloquially known as 'Peter Pan's Cave' and at the time, I never gave a thought to what that 'tunnel' was, as it only ever served as a place to shelter when out playing and the heavens opened and it only went back 15-20ft before being blocked by bricks and rubble. I remember it having litter scattered around inside and the remains of countless fires, the outside arch being adorned with graffiti (some being abstract works of male and female anatomy!) If ever a place was over-romanticised with a wholly inappropriate name eh? I could never have imagined Wendy saying "Oooh Peter, I just love what you've done with the place!" lol

I grew up on June Road, which is off the top of Junction Road almost to the end where it meets Station Road / Furnace Lane and where the old 'Grammar' school stood opposite the Junction Hotel, beside the railway station and bus terminus. The whole of the area from the bottom of Junction Road, across the 'Secco' (which was a large open playing field [blue on the aerial view], marked out with several football pitches and in my childhood had a wooden hut at it's western side - it's name I always believed was derived from being the playing fields for the Grammar school - Secondary Grammar = Secco!), up Greengate Lane (a grass footpath until it met John Calvert Road) and up past the allotments, the brick pond and across to Brunswick Middle School was one huge playground for me and my pals. Never having to cross a road and always within a few minutes of home for a drink, some food, or a plaster (and some sympathy!), countless weekends, school holidays and even on school nights in summer were spent making dens in the cornfield, climbing trees by the branch line, or scrumping in Pearson's orchard! In my teens, the 'pit yard' was a scrambling track for dirt bikes, one of the many trails that we could follow on our chopped down, chunky tyred mopeds!

Anyway, being much older now and taking an interest in local history, it occurred to me that this may have had some industrial heritage and it was only when I read Ken Wain's excellent "The Coal Mining Industry of Sheffield and North East Derbyshire" (p. 47-48), I discovered that it may have been 'Junction Colliery'?

The dates seem to fit Ken's book, as looking at maps of the area, it did not exist in 1850-1: http://maps.nls.uk/view/10234522

But by 1896-7, it had closed and was referred to as 'Old Colliery': http://maps.nls.uk/view/101600226

I've scoured every other source I have access to, but cannot find any further information on the colliery and wondered if anyone else had done any work to find out more? Looking at the maps in more detail, the area was scattered with collieries and shafts and it seems the immediate local area was a hive of activity. It actually appears that the row of terraced houses close by may have actually been built as 'pit cottages'? Greengate Lane used to go all the way to the pit yard and there was a tramway linking the pit to the railway line to the North.

I'll keep researching, but if anyone has any information they're willing to share, it would be very gratefully received!

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I've never heard of the cave or the colliery, but I can confirm that the blue area was the grammar school playing field. We used to change at the school and walk down there in our football boots!

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As a "Wud-hus" lad, I too have some vague recollection of this place.

I also seem to recall being told, possibly by either, my mother, or my grandmother, that it had formerly been used as an air-raid shelter, although, as to whether it had been custom-built for that purpose, or was simply, an existing, convenient structure adapted for such use, I could not say.

That is the extent of my knowledge, although it would be interesting to know more, as it is certainly an intriguing survival, whatever its history.

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I never expected Google Street View to extend that far into the wilderness, but sure enough, Big Brother has even copped Peter Pan's.....

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Woodhouse,+Sheffield,+South+Yorkshire+S13,+UK/@53.359089,-1.349987,3a,15y,221.48h,89.89t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sbHfhaxJWoNfS1pcenUurrg!2e0!4m2!3m1!1s0x48799d0a0d4b94e5:0xc95c1d6744c8be64?hl=en

I don't live too far away these days and might even take a walk over one weekend - not that I'm expecting to find much other than what is shown on the photo. I do remember the yard (when it was less grassy) being full of clinker and hard black shale, which given it's heritage is not surprising?

Grateful to Steve HB for the link to the 'Industrial Coal and Iron Company', who's pits were also over at Storforth Lane in Chesterfield. That will open up some additional avenues of research and handy they were a listed company, as that means public records, which tend to be more readily archived.

I agree with the air raid shelter theory Unitedite Returns, as it's a substantial structure and would probably have withstood anything that Goering's flyboys could have dropped on it? However, if it was built at the same time at the pit, it pre-dated the invention of aircraft by 50 years, so either it was great forward planning, or it was adapted at a later time?! lol

Thanks Gordon for the Grammar school memory. My mum was there and although she never knew it as the "Secco", she was able to make the link too.

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I never expected Google Street View to extend that far into the wilderness, but sure enough, Big Brother has even copped Peter Pan's.....

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Woodhouse,+Sheffield,+South+Yorkshire+S13,+UK/@53.359089,-1.349987,3a,15y,221.48h,89.89t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sbHfhaxJWoNfS1pcenUurrg!2e0!4m2!3m1!1s0x48799d0a0d4b94e5:0xc95c1d6744c8be64?hl=en

I don't live too far away these days and might even take a walk over one weekend - not that I'm expecting to find much other than what is shown on the photo. I do remember the yard (when it was less grassy) being full of clinker and hard black shale, which given it's heritage is not surprising?

Grateful to Steve HB for the link to the 'Industrial Coal and Iron Company', who's pits were also over at Storforth Lane in Chesterfield. That will open up some additional avenues of research and handy they were a listed company, as that means public records, which tend to be more readily archived.

I agree with the air raid shelter theory Unitedite Returns, as it's a substantial structure and would probably have withstood anything that Goering's flyboys could have dropped on it? However, if it was built at the same time at the pit, it pre-dated the invention of aircraft by 50 years, so either it was great forward planning, or it was adapted at a later time?! lol

Thanks Gordon for the Grammar school memory. My mum was there and although she never knew it as the "Secco", she was able to make the link too.

Back to the research..................

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I never remembered this as being a rough, but well dressed, stone built arch, but clearly it is, as can be seen from the above image, [how little you notice when a teenager].

Which I would have thought, would suggest a 19th century, as opposed to a middle 20th century origin, and far too well finished to be some hastily built WWII structure.

If it was used as an air-raid shelter, as my family suggested, then it was probably an existing structure adapted as such, at a time when the building such shelters was all the fashion.

An existing, well built hole in the ground would save a lot of effort, and I would imagine that during the early 1940's that it was considered prudent to know the whereabouts of the shelters in your locality, which probably explains that understanding.

First thoughts, having seen the photograph are that possibly it could be a culvert running underneath a railway, or tramway.

I don't think that it would be the former Birley Branch however, as this line joined the main line at the back of the signal box.

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wow, that brought memories back.

having moved on the badger when it was built and moving down into the mill, the tunnel was always known as peter pan`s cave, latter on it was suggested that it was a disused railway tunnel for one of the colliery's.

I don't know the real purpose of peter pan`s cave, but look forward to reading and following this post.

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