The Wigan Coalfield
Compiled by Alan Davies
with Len Hudson
0 7524 1724 X
Through documents, the Wigan area can trace its coal mining activities as
far back as 650 years, and for a brief spell in the late nineteenth century
Wigan itself was proudly known as 'Coalopolis'. Mining machinery such as
ventilation fans, winding engines, air compressors, pumps and haulage
engines were manufactured around Wigan, the products of Worsley Mesnes
Ironworks, Woods & Sons or Walker Brothers. The closure of the Bickershaw,
Golborne and Parsonage mining complex in 1992, however, brought an end to
the Wigan coalfield's great era.
Over 700 million tons of coal have been produced in the Wigan coalfield over
the last 600 years, while a similar amount still lies below the ground. The
recent ill-advised rush to wipe out all traces of the British coal industry
has temporarily closed the mines of the Wigan area, and sadly thousands of
men with the specialist skills peculiar to the industry have found
themselves without a career.
The photographs in the compilation have been carefully selected from the
collections of the Lancashire Mining Museum, Wigan Heritage Centre and the
Donald Anderson/Tony France Archive. It is a book that will provide an
intriguing insight into the lives and working conditions of Wigan area
miners and is a testament to the region and its proud coal mining legacy.
Cost £9.95 P&P
Mike Moore Mining and Caving Bookseller
WWW.moorebooks.co.uk
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