New Hucknall Colliery

Pit Wheel Memorial

True credit for the following scenes is offered Mick Bostock. The New Hucknall Colliery electricians camera captured pit yard demolitions among a magnificent album covering employment through its celebrated centenary year, plus an informative collection of further nostalgic memorabilia.

Towering over all regional pit yards the familiar sighting of local headstocks came to symbolise 20th century prosperity for each mining community. New Hucknall Colliery uniquely started using three shafts. The remaining two housing NCB pit wheels were demolished 1982, shown here marking a final end for all Huthwaite coal mining.

The above sequence reveals an unceremonial demolition for the No.2 winding house headstocks dated September 1982. However, greater dignity was then given hoisting away both pit wheels from atop No.3 shaft, shown below being carefully preserved.

The Huthwaite Memorials

Pit wheels memorial unveiled

A SET of pit wheels originally from New Hucknall Colliery, Huthwaite, has been resited as a memorial to local mineworkers at Common Road, Huthwaite, and will be officially unveiled and dedicated on Wednesday 18th October 1995.
The Chairman of Ashfield District Council, Coun. Mrs Yvonne White, will be joined by local and fellow district councillors for the event at 1pm.
Children from the nearby All Saints' School will also be present and any former miners who worked at New Hucknall Colliery are welcome to attend.
The curate of All Saints' Church, Edward Worsley, will dedicate the memorial, which will commemorate strong links between the church and the pit.
Although coal been mined in Huthwaite from at least the 16th century, large scale production only began with the sinking of New Hucknall Colliery on Common Road in 1876.
The winding wheels were preserved following closure of the colliery in 1982. The colliery produced nearly 12million tonnes coal since nationalisation in 1947.
All Saint's Church is constructed from the stone which was hewn from the deep hard seam 400 yards below ground and was built between 1902 and 1903.
The memorial commemorates the loyal service given by generations of Huthwaite men to the mining industry and the nation.

My 2003 photograph best shows those wheels sited by Ashfield District Council fronting All Saints Church

Those New Hucknall Colliery wheels eventually regained their prominent display upon Blackwell Road cornering top of Common Road. Mr Bostock also supplied the local press clipping that dates their official dedication in Huthwaite on 18th October 1995, fully transcribed here with added photos. Our first memorial however still hangs inside the village parish church.

All Saints Church Plaque

The Huthwaite Church acknowledged its historic ties on 12th March 1982, when then Chairman of the National Coal Board Mr Norman Siddell unveiled a bronze plaque commemorating all employees of New Hucknall Colliery. Witnessing this tribute from left to right are Mr. Ray Chadburn, Mr Frank Haynes, Lord Taylor of Mansfield, the Bishop of Southwell, Mr John Boot and the Rev. Gordon Oliver.

The plaque itself reads This church was built with stone taken from the deep hard seam of New Hucknall Colliery and this panel placed here to the glory of god by miners and their families to commemorate those who laboured there from 1976 to 1982