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Ringinglow Coal mines ?


Digger

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In 1871 a consortium found coal at Ringinglow and sank two shafts, bringing up a small amount of good quality fuel. The had problems with water in the strata above the coal measures and despite spending £3,000 on efforts to remove the water, failed as it was above the coal.  The promotors gave up on the scheme at this point.  The two shafts stood idle until 1905 when the landowner, Alderman Wheatley (Mayor in 1903), filled them in.  However in 1907 Alderman Wheatley, on the advice of mining surveyor F.G.Buxton, decided to reopen a drift mine into the seam, rather than go to the expense of sinking shafts.  A pumping engine was used to clear the water which had been a problem previously.  The seam was 4 ft 6 ins thick and believed to be spread under the whole of the 100 acres of land owned by Alderman Wheatley on the Sheffield side of Ringinglow.

At Ringinglow village the seam is at the surface, but at the site of the old mill was about 70 yards deep.  A few tons per week were being extracted in 1907.

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The Devonshire Arms in Dore was Head Office for the "Dore Coal Mining Co"....It was named in a list of coal companies which were in existance at the time of nationalisation. I placed a small plaque in the pub ...which received a deal of disbelief/derision from some "incoming" regulars who didn't want to know that" leafy Dore" had an industrial heritage let alone that it had links with the coal industry.

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If wasn’t for the incomers Dore would be a very small village, blame for it’s popularity rests firmly on the Cavendish family shoulders as it was the Duke of Devonshire who had Dore Road constructed along with his crash pad, The Firs (no 66), just to be close to the railway station. 

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As a matter of fact my family originate in Dore/Totley . I can trace them living there as far back as 1632... where they were husbandmen as well as having an interest in lead smelting .

My understanding has always been that Dore Road was built, together with "spec" housing, by the Midland Railway who advertised the fact that managers could be in their East End factories within minutes of leaving their carriages at Dore station.

Mention of the Cavendishes is interesting.

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8 minutes ago, lysandernovo said:

As a matter of fact my family originate in Dore/Totley . I can trace them living there as far back as 1632... where they were husbandmen as well as having an interest in lead smelting .

My understanding has always been that Dore Road was built, together with "spec" housing, by the Midland Railway who advertised the fact that managers could be in their East End factories within minutes of leaving their carriages at Dore station.

Mention of the Cavendishes is interesting.

I suggest that you read the Dore Village Society leader “A Brief History of Dore”

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Until I left Dore village I was a member of the Society,  read their publications and was an occasional contributor to their magazine....but thanks for the suggestion.

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Hi Davejc...I did as you suggested and have to admit that ( perhaps age) my memory has let me down! Further investigation, including looking at a Totley History site shows that it was land on Totley Brook Estate which was acquired by the Midland Railway.

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16 minutes ago, lysandernovo said:

Hi Davejc...I did as you suggested and have to admit that ( perhaps age) my memory has let me down! Further investigation, including looking at a Totley History site shows that it was land on Totley Brook Estate which was acquired by the Midland Railway.

No probs mate, I can’t remember if I have a bad memory or not.

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Sorry if I move from coal to stone . I suppose I should start a new topic Every hill in the West of Sheffield seems to have had a quarry. Looking for the history of the quarry right hand side of High Storrs going up the road and a smaller one left hand side. The bigger one had coal workings and a pile of slag that gave a fast bike ride down. The cliff presumably was the remains of the quarry and gave an exciting scree run down (until one boy tripped and rolled the rest of the way - breaking his collar bone). According to my 1903 map many of the quarries doubled as brickworks.

 

 

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