The
Five Pits Trail runs from Tibshelf, through Pilsley, and on to Holmewood and
Grassmoor. It's a pleasant walk past the sites of the old pits, along the route
of some of the old Great Central Railway lines. Almost all traces of the pits
have disappeared, although the head gear is still in place at Holmewood pit,
which is now the site of a fairly large industrial estate. The paths have
recently been refurbished, and are now in much better condition, with most of
their surface being covered with crushed white stone, I suppose after 30 years
of use you can expect it to have got a little worn!.
The
land reclamation scheme was given a Countryside Award back in 1970, and
certainly there are now very few visible traces of what must have once been a
fairly forbidding industrial landscape. I've lived here since 1981, and, although I
live only a short distance away from the site of Pilsley Colliery, I had to
consult old maps at Chesterfield Reference Library to find where the pit was
actually situated!. The pit commenced operation in 1866, and by 1894 employed
954 persons above and below ground, producing approximately 1,200 tons of coal
during eight and a quarter hours operation of the winding engine.
Pilsley
Colliery closed in May 1957, with the miners being found work at other local
pits. This picture is from the Five Pits Trail, looking over the original
location of Pilsley Colliery, as can be clearly seen, any trace of the pit has
been removed. The crushed white stone path, recently renovated, can be clearly
seen here!.
Last Updated 25/03/06