Industrial Developments

New Hucknall Colliery

Worked Coal Seams & NCB Output

Productive coal winning began from the Huthwaite, New Hucknall colliery from 1878.   Company owners kept over 70 years private interest. They managed to work 7 seams and almost manually exhausted the major ones before 1947 nationalised the entire coal industry. The National Coal Board take over extended a fully productive 103 years by mechanically driving into lowest of 8 depths.

Charting clearer shows when all seams had been productively worked in 8 descending depths throughout an historic New Hucknall lifetime.   Marking 1947 managerial changeover displays how the NCB inherited just 3 working layers. It includes the 1945 re-opening of a previously unprofitable Piper depth, maybe timely extending war efforts to even prolong this pits impending closure.

Coal winning began off shallowest Top Hard 144 yard depth after sinking a second 1877 ventilation shaft. Transferring 1905 pick and shovel work began a third level Waterloo 203 yard seam until 1934.   Exploring further depths left a water troubled Dunsil until desperately seeking its 1940 short term viability. Similarly delayed start upon fourth deepest Soft Main encountered two coal layers separated by a thickening dirt band. That went on to test NCB mechanisation until managing to win several final years output.

Yards   Year Span    Named Seams

 144   1878 - 1905   Top Hard
 166   1940 - 1946   Dunsil
 203   1906 - 1934   2nd Waterloo
 318   1942 - 1981   Deep Soft
 359   1887 - 1979   Deep Hard
 372   1924 - 1981   First Piper
 412   1887 - 1951   Tupton
 446   1979 - 1981   The Yard

Focusing upon deeper profitable fossil fuel extraction came through 1887 sinking a third pit shaft. Winning coals off the fifth Deep Soft was only bettered from longest worked seventh Tupton level.   Problems encountered between those dismissed a Deep Hard, where miners had helpfully volunteered to haul away stone donated towards constructing the Huthwaite parish church. Deepest Yard seam a quarter mile underground remained unworkable due to serious water ingress.

Repeated threats of pit closure followed the 1930s depression. Other factors were involved, but reduced demand for UK coal leads the Government to introduce limited tonnage quotas. The New Hucknall Colliery Company then owned three larger mines, so loss of their least profitable Huthwaite pit would be proposed. Employing around 1,000 pitmen left working a 1934 three day week, then reduces to just two days. June 27th dates when they all ultimately received 14 days dismal notice. Their appeal to raise the allotted quota to save jobs was dismissed, but the company kept this pit open by employing a much reduced number on a day to day basis.

A Miners Federation of Great Britain had united a huge workforce, The reformed 1945 National Union of Mineworkers then initially consisting 533,000 members.   Raising safety issues would aim to reduce frequent fatalities. Major concessions may often be won if agreeing to raise productivity, especially while representing one of the lowest paid labour forces still striving for worthier wages.

Less than 600 were employed when chart displays how NCB takeover inherited just three working seams. Although all output soon depended on a single First Piper seam, the National Coal Board would afford an annual averaged total of 660 regular jobs. Times of national reliance burning coal might realise government subsidies also afforded mechanisation helping prolong this pits lifetime.

NCB Production Figures

Graphed production figures possibly relate dips encountering underground difficulties.   Occasional loss of mains electricity predated later exaggerated drops that effectively date two general miners strikes called by NUM leaders.   Wage packets do get significantly improved to such a point underground miners might even claim highest UK labour rates.   Bettering rising targets measured by output per manshift best achieved desired monetary reward.

Although this Huthwaite mine largely survives by reopening abandoned or problematic seams, mechanisation is the key for unlocking those barriers.

However, reaching profitable reserves beneath New Hucknall became increasingly difficult. Huthwaite miners had to understand an impending 1980 closure could only be delayed if finally able to tap the most challenging water prone deepest depth.   The Yard was last hope of survival. Winning first 1979 coals cut from that 446 yard depth developed two favourable areas. Safe and economical extractions ultimately ended at Huthwaite lastly coming off that Y7 face in December 1981. Achieving a final record annual output of 503,071 tonnes was proudly reached by clearing every coal storage area before meeting ultimate site clearance. The total output recorded by the National Coal Board from this New Hucknall Huthwaite colliery reached around 12million tonnes