heading
it out
click minerCCMHS NEWS
A new feature will shortly be appearing in these pages Great Men of the Cannock Chase Coalfield
Ccmhs Photos Archives Links Membership Miner's List Our Aims Fame & facts Your Story
Before moving on please take a little time and sign our GUESTBOOK
The Cannock Chase Mining Historical Society would like to thank the Museum of Cannock Chase for all their help and assistance in our inaugural year and for their continued support by allowing us the use of their facility as our headquarters. Please visit the Museum it's well worth the effort.
_______________________________________
DIARY DATES 2008
Calendar of Events
heading
it out
click miner
The CCMHS is available to give talks to any school in the area of Cannock Chase who would like to know more on the heritage of coal mining in the Cannock Chase area.
___________________________________________________________
A.G.M
The 6th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of the Society took place on Monday 21st January 2008 at the Museum of Cannock Chase, Valley Road, Hednesford, WS12 1TD.
The meeting was chaired by M Drury and was well attended by the membership, amendment(s) were made to the constitution any member wanting a copy of the amended constitution should apply to the secretary at enquiries@ccmhs.co.uk they should include their membership number in the email. The treasure of the society Mick Lucas announced his retirement, he will be replaced by Mrs Margaret Dean, all the other officers were voted back in place for a further 12 month.
___________________________________________________________________
PROMOTE THE SOCIETY GET A NEW CCMHS CAR (SELF ADHESIVE) WINDSCREEN STICKERS
(size as illustrated)
They cost £2.00 each plus .50p p&p. You can order from enquiries@ccmhs.co.uk
Quarterly Meetings
The first quarterly meeting of 2008 will take place on Thursday 3rd April at Keys Park, (off Keys Park Rd) the home of Hednesford Town football club. The meeting commence promptly at 2-00pm and will be a Talk/Discussion about the green technology of "Wind Farms", given by Mr Ian Parker of Harworth Power.
Please make an effort to attend and bring a college or the wife all our meetings are open to the general public admission is free.
Please make a note that all our meetings this year will take place at the above venue
Map of location & approaches to Keys Park
(click on map to enlarge)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
NEWS.
THIS
BOOK IS NOW BACK IN PRINT & IS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE FROM THE CCMHS
The 1,500 copies that were originally published and released on the 10th September 2005 were sold out by the end of that month. However the CCMHS have received 500 more copies of "The Cannock Chase Coalfield AND ITS COAL MINES" and these are available now. The reprint books will remain at the original price of £10.00 per book (plus £7.00 UK p&p, please email for Worldwide mail orders) anyone who requires a copy of this excellent book should contact the CCMHS through enquiries@ccmhs.co.uk.
The society is the primary source of supply for these books,
A letter to the CCMHS written by Mr Richard Shepherd MP
Please note Post & Package to the UK for the books listed below would be £2.00. Please email us for Worldwide p&p
We now have available the FIRST in a series of books to be published to compliment the main book published in September 2005 "The Cannock Chase Coalfield AND ITS COAL MINES" (see below).
This first one is by Ken Edwards, and is entitled Brereton Colliers 1791 - 1960. The booklet is packed with all the facts and fascinating details that could not be contained in the original book.
These book will be produced at intervals over the coming months and will as stated contain much more information on the colliery companies and collieries featured in main publication. This booklet is priced at £5.00 (plus p&p for mail order) prices of the other booklets may vary and are available from the CCMHS on enquiries@ccmhs.co.uk they can be collected by prior arrangement with the Chairman, Secretary or Membership secretary.
The SECOND book in the series is entitled Hilton Main & Holly bank by Trevor Matthews is available to purchase from the CCMHS. As with the other book it is packed with even more information and fascinating facts that Trevor could not put in the original book. The booklet is priced at £5.00 plus p&p for mail order To place an order email the society on this address enquiries@ccmhs.co.uk
The THIRD book in the series
is entitled "Cannock
& Rugeley Colliery Company Ltd
and its collieries 1864 - 1973"
by Ken Edwards is now available to purchase from the CCMHS. As
with the other booklet it is packed with even more information and fascinating
facts that Ken could not put in the original book. The booklet is priced at
£5.00 plus p&p for mail order to place an order email the society on this
address
enquiries@ccmhs.co.uk
The Fourth book in the series is entitled "William Harrison Company Limited" by Mick Drury available to purchase from the CCMHS. As with the other books it is packed with even more information and fascinating facts that Mick could not put in the original book. The book is priced at £5.00 plus p&p (mail order) to place an order email the society on this address enquiries@ccmhs.co.uk
The Fifth book in the series is now on general release, by Dennis Jackson it's entitled "Cannock& Leacroft Colliery and Coppice Colliery" it's available to purchase from the CCMHS. As with the other books it is packed with even more information and fascinating facts that Dennis could not put in the original book. The book is priced at £5.00 plus p&p (mail order) to place an order email the society on this address enquiries@ccmhs.co.uk
This sixth book in the series by Mick Drury is now available and can be purchase from the CCMHS. The book is again packed with even more information and fascinating facts that Mick could not put in the original book. The book is priced at £5.00 plus p&p (mail order) to place an order email the society on this address enquiries@ccmhs.co.uk
This seventh book in the series is written by Brian Rollins and is now available and can be purchase from the CCMHS. The book is again of the same high quality and packed with even more information and fascinating facts that could not put in the original book. The book is priced at £5.00 plus p&p (mail order) to place an order email the society on this address enquiries@ccmhs.co.uk
This the eight book in the series was compiled by the late Graham Warburton & completed after Graham's untimely death by Ken Edwards it is the next book to be published by the society and is AVAILABLE NOW. The book is again of the same high quality and packed with even more information and fascinating facts that could not put in the original book. The book is priced at £5.00 plus p&p (mail order) to place an order email the society on this address enquiries@ccmhs.co.uk
On Tuesday 8th August the wife and family of the late Graham Warburton who was a founder member of the CCMHS & primary author of the Lea Hall book were invited to the Museum of Cannock Chase by the CCMHS. At a short reception attended by the committee of the society and invited guests Mrs Mavis Warburton was presented with a copy of her husbands book by MR Ken Edwards who completed the work after Grahams untimely death. Other family members look on whilst admiring their copies of the book.
The family look on as the book is presented to Mavis by Ken
This the ninth book in the series and was compiled by Maurice Davies and Jack Sunley it is the latest book to be published by the society and is AVAILABLE NOW. The book is again of the same high quality and packed with even more information and fascinating facts that could not put in the original book. The book is priced at £5.00 plus p&p (mail order) to place an order email the society on this address enquiries@ccmhs.co.uk
Cannock
Chase Colliery Company by
Peter Barker, is now available from the CCMHS. This is the tenth book in the
mini series
and is again of the same high quality and packed with even more information and
fascinating facts that could not put in the original book. The book is
priced at £5.00 plus p&p (mail order) to place an order email the society on
this address enquiriest@ccmhs.co.uk
Peter has held two book signings at Burntwood Library & Heath Hayes libraries
This CCMHS publication is to commemorate the flooding of Brereton Colliery Companies Coppice Pit 100 years ago.
The ELEVENTH book in this mini series is by Ken Edwards and will sell at £5.00 + p&p to place an order email the society on this address enquiriest@ccmhs.co.uk
At last its back from the printers, our latest publication the "Chronicles of the East Cannock Colliery Companies 1870 - 1957".
Its somewhat late for Christmas (it was hoped it would have been available for Christmas 2007). This the twelfth book in this mini series is again of the same high quality as its predecessors.
The book which was written by Alan Dean, has 146 pages, many new photographs and has taken 6 years to research and put into print. It also includes a full chapter on the Birmingham Canal Navigation's Cannock Extension Canal.
We apologise but due printing costs this book is priced at £6.00 plus p&p (mail order) to place an order email the society on this address enquiriest@ccmhs.co.uk
The following is a list of books to be printed in the series, they are not available at this moment and are not in order of publication but orders can be placed for them now. This would assist the society in estimating the number of each book that would be required to be printed. When ordering please put the book title in the subject line of the email.
Coal Mines from Churchbridge to Bloxwich by Mick Drury
West Cannock Colliery Company by Alan Dean (will include Fair Oak Colliery by Ken Edwards) the author has now started to write the manuscript after 5 years of research.
These booklets are only available from the CCMHS
__________________________________________________________________
The Friends of the Museum of Cannock Chase will be holding a 2 day local history fair on Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th of May further details will be made available as soon as arrangements are finalised.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
APPEAL BY BURNTWOOD CHASE HERITAGE GROUP
Below is a letter we received from the above group, as a society who's sole purpose is to preserve and promote the coalmining heritage in the Cannock Chase area, the CCMHS supports this groups project and as such have made a donation. It is a worthy project and needs all the support that can be given to see that it reaches it's completion on time. The coalmining history of this area goes back hundreds of years but it was at Hammerwich and Burntwood in the 1850s that it really took off to become what it did in the district. So please give all the support you can to this venture.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Read the Report on this tragic event - PELSALL HALL DISASTER 1872 A picture of one of the victims Charles Astbury has been added to this report, this was kindly donated by 2 of his great great granddaughters. They have also sent a memorial entitled "Calamity at Pelsall Hall Colliery" published at the time, this has also been added
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Head Line News
Today Saturday 29th July 2006 at exactly 3.00pm a ceremony took place in Hednesford town centre to dedicate a magnificent monument to the miners past & present , living & deceased, of the Cannock Chase Coalfield. The monuments stands outside the town library and consist of a brick plinth on each brick is carved a miners name and colliery, on top of this plinth stands a truly majestic miners safety lamp (lit) possibly the finest memorial to miners in the area. The whole idea was the brain child of Jack Sunley and was made possible by public subscription under the directions of CHAPS (chase arts in public spaces) and who made the whole project happen. There are approximately 1000 names on the plinth and room for many more so if you have missed out on having your ancestor, grandfather, father, brother or uncles (who worked in the Cannock Chase Coalfield) name on one of the bricks do not worry there is a phase 2 planned. To get further information on phase 2 call 01543 467810.
The opening speech was by the Dr Tony Wright Labour MP for Cannock he was followed by Jack Sunley who understandably was rather overcome by emotion, as he saw his long awaited project reach maturity. The dedication was carried out by the Bishop of Wolverhampton The Rt Revd Michael Bourke and the service was lead by the vicar of St Peters Churchill Reverend David Buck. The Chase Orpheus Male Voice Choir gave touching rendition of "Take Me Home" by Edward & Hand and the Rugeley Power Station Band kept the crowds entertain with an excellent concert prior to the event and during the service played the hymns. A group of visitors (Rhondda Heritage) had travelled up from the Rhonda where the lamp was made, they called at the Museum of Cannock Chase for a buffet lunch and a tour of the museum, from here they travelled to the dedication but not before the chairman of the Cannock Chase Mining Historical Societies presented them with a copy of the societies book "The Cannock Chase Coalfield and its coal mines". The town centre was at a stand still with a vast crowd clogging the main street gaining every vantage point they could its been a long time since so many miners gathered in the town and talked of the past.
The waiting The crowd Jack & Tony The dedication
The Lamp lamp & bench lamp & names
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
MEMBERSHIP NEWS
The society now has 93 full members and 2 junior members remember if you are under 18 and are interested in your mining roots you can join for free
If you miss any of the talks the stories of the featured Colliery companies are available in the society books highlighted above.
The Book LAUNCH.
The official invitation to the launch ceremony
"The Cannock Chase Coalfield AND ITS COAL MINES".
The Cannock Chase Mining Historical Society successfully launched its book "The Cannock Chase Coalfield AND ITS COAL MINES" at a gathering of invited guests at the Museum of Cannock Chase Hednesford on Friday 9th September 2005. Dr Tony Wright MP for Cannock, was invited to officially launch the book. He said that he had read many books written by historians and that anyone can write a historical book, but only people like the authors, who had worked in the coal mining industry and had the passion that these authors had, could produce a book to this standard. In reply ‘Gaffer’ Jack Evans OBE and past Director of the largest area, geographically, in British Coal commented that he was proud of all the authors who had worked on the book, all of whom had at some stage in their careers worked under his leadership.
The book, sponsored by the Local Heritage Initiative, Countryside Agency and Nationwide Building Society, went on sale on Saturday 10th and Sunday11th September and despite poor weather conditions over 1000 visitors came to the open days at the Museum of Cannock Chase to purchase books and look at the interesting displays.
Many visitors to the re-union were old pals who talked about their past mining experiences and engaged in the banter that gave our coal mines that ‘wonderful’ atmosphere when the odds were against them.
THE LAUNCH ON THE FRIDAY
Mick
Drury presents Dr Tony Wright MP
Dr Tony Wright MP launches the book
Mr Jack Evans OBE respond to Dr Wright
Jack Evans introduces the authors
The authors
Saturday & Sunday
sales of pre-ordered book
Oh look I got mine
then a lull at lunch
======================================================================================
Launch day pictures by the CCMHS
=======================================================================================
HAVE ANOTHER GLASS OF WINE
The authors and their long suffering wives can relax at last
well for a few days then its back to the grindstone to prepare the booklets
before the June 30th 2006 deadline we this project comes to an end.
Anyone who pre-ordered a book and was unable to collect it on Saturday or Sunday would you please contact the CCMHS on enquiries@ccmhs.co.uk to arrange or postage.
P&P postage to the UK small parcel rate = £6.00/book. If first class post is required then cost will be £7.00
Airmail to the USA & Australia = £14.50/per book (two books in one package would cost £42.50)
WE WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK EVERYONE WHO VISITED THE RE-UNION & PURCHASED A BOOK OVER THE LAST TWO DAYS AND WISH YOU ALL HAPPY READING.
Finally we thank the Management and Staff of the Museum of Cannock Chase for the wonderful way they have helped and supported us over the last 3 days and throughout this project. we are sure that everyone who attended will support us in these sentiments.
Well done to all involved in this project.
_____________________________________________________________________
There are still a few Cannock Chase
Mining Historical Society Badge left these are available from the
membership secretary, the badge is 28mm in diameter and has a broach pin
fastener at the rear, it is priced at £4.00 and is available to
anyone. If you would like to
purchase a badge you should
email alandean@cchms.co.uk badges will be on sale at the next quarterly
meeting on 20th September. There have only been 100 of
these badges stamped and no more are to be made so its first come first
served basis.
Remember our membership is not restricted to ex-coal miners but open to anyone who has an interest or would like to learn more about our coal mining heritage, come along to along to our quarterly meeting's you do not have to have a mining background to come and join us.
Membership of the Society is open to all, at this moment in time we are accepting applications for membership for 2004. The cost for full adult membership is £5.00 / annum, junior membership is free on application for persons under 18 years of age.
Membership now stands at 89 (some still in arrears)
__________________________________________
QUARTERLY MEETING OF THE MEMBERSHIP (ARCHIVE LINK)
______________________________________
News: - West Cannock Badge (limited edition) see below (not issued by CCMHS)
The new badge will be offered for sale as of Monday 18th October 2004 it will depict the logo of the "West Cannock Colliery Company Ltd", the company used the logo from 1869 to 1951 when it liquidated. The design is a Blackcock a bird which was prolific on Cannock Chase until its disappearance in 1932. The badge will be produced in best quality brass with a quality hard enamel finish and a broach style fastener it will be 28mm diameter.
It will be a limited edition of 300, this will be split into two colours 150 red and 150 blue each set will be numbered on the reverse from 1 - 150 and no more will be made in this design.
They are priced at £4.00 + £1.00 p&p for the first badge and £4.00 + .50p for each additional badge, they will be sold on a first come first served basis, anyone who is interested in the badge should contact alandean@ccmhs.co.uk.
_________________________________________
CCMHS gets International links
Sardinia
On the 12th March 2004 the CCMHS had its first overseas contact from the Mediterranean Island of Sardinia. Mr Sandro Arcais from Oristano, a little town in Sardinia who is a teacher of Italian literature and history in a secondary school. Emailed us and asked if we would like a link on his site. Sandro is also the administrator of Minierabondi translated this means Minetramps a group of friends who search the countryside surrounding their village for old mine workings. They are trying to preserve their mining heritage (sound familiar) and open it up to tourism to supplement the lose of the mines. We of course accepted the offer and in return have placed this link to Sandro's site hopefully this new friendship will grow and perhaps other overseas contacts will be made. Please take a look here is the Link: - Minetramps site
Germany
Our latest European contact has been from
the Ruhr & Saar mining area of Germany,
Daniel Schopphoff,
who's website is
very
good
www.pro-bergbau.de
is asking for email for his electronic petition to save the coal mining
areas of the Ruhr and Saar. Our Society has responded positively to this
request as we went through the same sad climate in the last century. The
website contains many surface and underground picture of German coal mines,
with a short history of the mining industry in the area concerned. You can
visit the site and send an email of support it all helps, even if you do not
send the mail have a look at the site its worth the effort.
Visit to the NATIONAL COAL MINING MUSEUM FOR ENGLAND
The society made its first outing of 2004 to the above venue
located at the old Caphouse Colliery in the South Yorkshire
coalfield. A superb
49 seater executive coach was supplied by
Hill's
Coaches Ltd of Wolverhampton.
The group was made up of mainly non mining people, a few CCMHS
members and 9 children (also travelling with us were 6 boxes of books donated to
the museum by Cannock Library and The Museum of Cannock Chase) We left
Hednesford bus station at 08.30am and arrived at the museum at 10.30am. Mick
Drury led the way to the museum shop so that the visitors could be booked onto
one of the 3 underground tours arranged for our group, these tours were to leave
the surface at ten minute intervals beginning at 11.40am. With some trepidation
our non miners collected their helmets, belts and lamps from the lamp room. This
mine is classed as a working mine so it is still covered by the Coal Mines
Regulations; people handed over their contraband to the lampman. The guide for
each group was a retired miner, who introduced himself and informed everyone of
the rules for the visit, he then went on to describe the Colliery which was the
oldest surviving pit in England dating from the late 1700s. Then on to the small
cage which holds a maximum of 19 men and the 140 meter ride to the pit bottom
and the world on the coal miner. The underground has been set out in various
stages of advance from Victorian times to the present day, with examples of hand
getting, early coal cutters, blasting, and modern longwall equipment. The
setting is very good and the guides are excellent with a very broad back ground
in mining methods. It took approximately 2 hrs to get back to the surface, hand
in the equipment and collect cigarettes matches, watches and cameras, then off
to lunch in a very nice restaurant which any miner wished that his pit had been
blessed with. The weather by this time had turned quite foul if not atrocious
but the intrepid group made their way round the surface exhibitions such as the
steam winding house with its steam winder, coal through the ages exhibit and
various other exhibitions, especially the pit ponies, one of which had worked
down the pit until 1993.
No one used the pit head baths, Wonder Why? So with the weather trying it hardest to blow the headgear down and wash the pit mount away the decision was taken at 3.30pm to return home. We arrived back in Hednesford at 6.00pm. It was agreed by all to have been a most interesting and educational visit, people who had never been underground before were most impressed and awed by the experience and said they would not have missed it for anything, and were asking when the next visit was to Big Pit in Wales (It appears they have been bitten by the mining bug). The Museum is a must for anybody to visit, it is an experience that you do not have every day and it puts the mining of coal into a different prospective when you've be down a mine yourself. The CCMHS congratulate the Mining Museum of England on a superb reconstruction and heritage site and would like to thank them for showing their hospitality on our group visit.
Our visit to the National Coal Mining Museum of Wales at Big Pit the former Kearsley Pit (Wales Underground - Big Pit (National Mining Museum of Wales) took place on the 11th September 2004, and was a success although perhaps we could have done with a little more time at the venue as there was a great deal to see on the surface. The underground visit was about 50 minutes in duration and was not as long as the one at Caphouse Colliery which we visited earlier in the year. The pit was on the side of the mountain and started life as a inclined drift mine over 200 years ago as the distance into the mine increased and the distance for the women and boys to drag the coal back out of the mine (up the incline) slowed production it was decided to sink a shaft nearer the coal. It was down this shaft we descended some 300ft to the old pit bottom to start the tour. The guides were excellent and were all ex-colliers, they were pleasant, well informed and had all the time in the world for the children in the party. We were shown such things as the huge haulage motor that draw the tubs up the incline from the coal faces 2.5 miles inside the mountain and the small haulage that then lowered them into the pit bottom. Then to an area were a mock up of stall and pillar work had been created, onto the stables with the individual stalls and the ostlers cabin and rows of hanging horse shoes and harness and traces. Round the corner took us deeper into the mine down an incline that would put us 450 feet below ground then the long walk back to the pit bottom and the surface.
The surface layout was a credit to the museum the Baths had been made into a walk through exhibition with site and sound shows plus static exhibits. Bank of the original lockers and shower bays had been retained and gave an insight into the state of the men when they came out of the pit and is worth a visit if you are that way on. The winding engine house and winding engine although electrically driven was immaculate and looked like a winding house should (spotless). There was a marvellous place called the Galleries (I understand it was the original entrance to "DODD'S SLOPE" probably the best mining sight and sound exhibition I have visited and again worth calling in to see there were examples of shotfiring on a solid rock head, a Dosco roadheader, back ripping and a coalface all with the sights and sounds associated with these operations.
The canteen was second to non (the only criticism would be that there was not enough gravy on the faggots) and had a very varied menu catering for all tastes. All in all we would recommend this museum and the experience it offers to everyone it gives a chance to step back into the past and get an underground experience
Well done to all the staff at the National Coal Mining Museum of Wales and a Big thank you from the CCMHS.
click photos to enlarge
Ccmhs Photos Archives Membership Stories, facts & Memoirs Our Aims Links