Made in Stoke-on-Trent

[Guitar Ray]

4 hours ago, MelbourneValiant said:

Behind Gloucester Road, early 70's was open cast, when it closed they built new houses a on Gloucester Road itself. Growing up in the late 70's early 80's we referred to the this area as the blackhills. Its overgrass now, fertilised by dirty pikeys who make it their home very few years.

[Paul6754]

14 hours ago, MelbourneValiant said:

Behind Gloucester Road, early 70's was open cast, when it closed they built new houses a on Gloucester Road itself. Growing up in the late 70's early 80's we referred to the this area as the blackhills. Its overgrass now, fertilised by dirty pikeys who make it their home very few years.

I had family that lived on the Miners estate and I used to deliver milk on Gloucester Rd in the late 60's (I lived on the Lower/Higher Ash Rd side of Kidsgrove). I frequently went to the miners estate in the mid-60's to play with my cousins and when not playing football we often would go to "Blackhills" to mess about.

There was no open cast coal mine there in the 60's that I can remember but there must have been at some time as Blackhills is one big slag heap. At that time only one side of Gloucester Rd was built on, I believe both sides are now but have no idea how much of Blackhills has been built on.

The photos's posted by Dangermouse above of "Clough Hall Colliery"  could well be of Birchenwood (The bottom photo definitely is) as Clough Hall and the Birchenwood area are not far from each other as the crow flies and likely the tunnels from Birchenwood ran under Clough Hall, hence the names probably interchangeable.

There are slag heaps over much of Kidsgrove, there is a slag heap behind Park Avenue in the area where it meets Beech Drive on the perimeter of Clough Hall park acrosss to where Kidsgrove Athletic play so there must have been coal mining in that vicinity at some time. 

As for Birchenwood, we used to go and play on two giant cinders at the Kidsgrove town end of Birchenwood known locally as "Red Rock". They were about 20-30 ft high and about 3ft apart at one point.  Kids used to climb one and as a dare jump the gap across to the other. There's a street named Red Rock Crescent built on the old Birchenwood land.

I can't remember the old coke ovens of Birchenwood in the 60's but this may be because I didn't go much further than the Red Rock area, I can remember the Birchenwood office and other buildings on the left as you drove up Kidsgrove bank towards Goldenhill.

[bycars rob]

On 12/02/2022 at 21:13, Paul6754 said:

 

GR, Conrad, I was raised in Kickrew on that side of town.  I can't remember any Open Cast mine in/around the Acres Nook area in the 1960/70's.

Coal Mining ceased at Birchenwood in the 1930's. According to records the Birchenwood site was used to turn Coal into Coke but from the 1930's onwards the coal was obtained from other Pits in the area. Coke production ceased in 1973.  I didn't realize what a big deal Birchenwood was in it's time, attracting a Royal visit from Queen Victoria in 1913. 

Clough Hall Coal and Iron Works

WWW.THEPOTTERIES.ORG

 

A posthumous visit from the queen, very honoured. 

[Guitar Ray]

38 minutes ago, Paul6754 said:

I had family that lived on the Miners estate and I used to deliver milk on Gloucester Rd in the late 60's (I lived on the Lower/Higher Ash Rd side of Kidsgrove). I frequently went to the miners estate in the mid-60's to play with my cousins and when not playing football we often would go to "Blackhills" to mess about.

There was no open cast coal mine there in the 60's that I can remember but there must have been at some time as Blackhills is one big slag heap. At that time only one side of Gloucester Rd was built on, I believe both sides are now but have no idea how much of Blackhills has been built on.

The photos's posted by Dangermouse above of "Clough Hall Colliery"  could well be of Birchenwood (The bottom photo definitely is) as Clough Hall and the Birchenwood area are not far from each other as the crow flies and likely the tunnels from Birchenwood ran under Clough Hall, hence the names probably interchangeable.

There are slag heaps over much of Kidsgrove, there is a slag heap behind Park Avenue in the area where it meets Beech Drive on the perimeter of Clough Hall park acrosss to where Kidsgrove Athletic play so there must have been coal mining in that vicinity at some time. 

As for Birchenwood, we used to go and play on two giant cinders at the Kidsgrove town end of Birchenwood known locally as "Red Rock". They were about 20-30 ft high and about 3ft apart at one point.  Kids used to climb one and as a dare jump the gap across to the other. There's a street named Red Rock Crescent built on the old Birchenwood land.

I can't remember the old coke ovens of Birchenwood in the 60's but this may be because I didn't go much further than the Red Rock area, I can remember the Birchenwood office and other buildings on the left as you drove up Kidsgrove bank towards Goldenhill.

The whole lots was mines. If you go back they were all over North Staffs like a rash.  So the remnants were everywhere too.

You mention Red Rocks.  There was Big Cinders (Red Rocks) and Little Cinders.  Little Cinders was nearer to Whitehill.  Red Rocks we’re towards the nursery, which is still there.  There were also various other smaller cinders dotted about.

The Coke Ovens were nearer to Rookery, long since built on just beyond what’s now the Pump Track.