One of my Grandfathers worked at the Navigation Pit just south of Talywain /
waun and roughly 800 to 1000 yards north-west of the British Ironworks ...
it was also called Powells Navigation and (I think) Lower Navigation.
He and Grandma lived at The British, the settlement up the hill to the west
of the ironworks and now largely demolished.
During the war years and shortly thereafter, I used to spend time with him
in the lamproom and winding room, though I ran away scared from the edge of
the hole in the ground when he offered to take me underground (I've since
redeemed myself slightly by for years taking 16 to 18 year olds (and my wife
.. and several teacher over the years) to trips underground at the Hatfield
Main Colliery near Doncaster when it was still busy and productive :))
Decades ago I was told that the records of the Navigation - including a very
flimsy map of the underground workings - were in British Coal records at
Mansfield ... to my shame, I didn't follow this up :((
Did that depository exist ? Might it have housed the Navigation's records ?
And - assuming that it did - where the heck might they be now ?!
In hope ...
John the increasingly aged !
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