Gomersal Colliery
There are references to mining in the Oakwell and Gomersal areas that go back to 1359. In 1911 the Birkenshaw Collieries Co. Ltd started sinking shafts down to the Blocking bed at the site of the Countryside Centre car park. The colliery was officially opened in 1916 and by 1918 employed over 60 men.
The mine was opened out by the profits from the company’s Peacock Pit at Birkenshaw and despite periodic closures Gomersal was ready to produce coal again by 1932.
The 1930s were a time of great depression in the coal industry; upwards of 30 collieries closed within a 10 mile radius of Oakwell alone, including the Howden Clough pit, Batley, which mined coal from the Black Bed under the Hall between 1922 and 1926.
Despite the depression, Gomersal Colliery expanded. In late 1932 the shafts were sunk down to the Beeston Bed, more men were taken on from other collieries, and ventilation was improved. Later, when the Peacock Pit closed, its shafts were incorporated into the system. In 1936 production was up to 1,000 tubs daily.
The demand for coal during the Second World War meant that the pit was working 6 or 7 days a week. In 1947 the company, now called the New Gomersal Collieries Co. Ltd., handed over ownership to the National Coal Board. Another period of expansion followed and in 1951 there was increased mechanisation of the mine.
Further developments were carried out during the 1960s. The old system of underground haulage called ‘main and tail’ was replaced by remote controlled conveyors. From 1965 men and materials were transported underground by ‘coolie car’ and in 1967 a project to sink a drift to replace the existing shafts was completed. Production in the mid1960s was approximately 850 tons of coal per day.
In 1970 a highly sophisticated coal plough, used in conjunction with self advancing pit props, was installed into the Blocking bed. Six months later the system was withdrawn, unable to cope with Gomersal’s cramped conditions. The mine was now running at a loss.
Underground workings at Gomersal covered a large area extending for at least 1½ miles in all directions. Supporting pillars of coal under Oakwell Hall were retained. Problems associated with Gomersal included a tendency for the coal to deteriorate when stored on the surface, and despite the Colliery’s proximity to the rail network all the coal had to transported by road.
Despite Gomersal Colliery being in profit for most of its working life, from 1969 to 1973 it had been running at a loss. Then in March 1973, at the Lofthouse Colliery near Wakefield, disaster struck when old wet mine workings flooding into a developing face. The subsequent loss of life alerted the National Coal Board to the high dangers of running a mine in an area riddled with old workings, particularly in a ‘wet’ area like Gomersal. After consultations between management and Unions, the mine was run down and in June 1973 was finally closed.
In 1974 the winding gear and buildings were demolished. and planning permission granted for a reclamation project to be carried out by the newly formed Kirklees Council. Work began in 1976 and the project was designed by the Landscape Architects division of Kirklees Directorate of Architecture, Planning and Development. Part of the £60,000 cost was met by a Department of Environment Grant.
The shafts were capped with concrete, the sludge lagoons formed by coal washing were removed and rapid growing acid tolerant grasses were planted on the site of the levelled slag heaps to prevent soil erosion.
The work was completed in March 1979 and received a Certificate of Commendation in that year’s Conservation Award Scheme of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors and ‘The Times’ newspaper.
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| A picture from the 1970's |
A Picture from the Present |
Today the 16 hectare Gomersal Colliery site is almost unrecognisable. Planted with wildflowers and woodland the site is a haven for wildlife.
Geology
The geology of the Oakwell District consists of sediments of the Upper Carboniferous period, making these rocks 280-300 million years old. Most of the rocks are shales and mudstones. Some sandstone occurs in the south of the Park around Oakwell Beck. The northern part of the Park is made of a substantial exposure of Birstall rock, a massive sandstone forming the highest areas of the Park.
Sedimentary Rock
Sedimentary rocks are formed from lots of rocks getting worn away due to erosion. Rain, freeze/thaw cycle, wind and running water cause the rock at higher ground to crumble a little bit at a time.. They are always formed in layers, called “beds” or “strata”, and quite often contain fossils. What happens in the meantime is that Eventually most of the broken bits of the rock end up in the streams & rivers that flow down from the mountains. These little bits of rock & sand are called sediments. When the water slows down enough, these sediments settle to the bottom of the lake or oceans they run into. Over many years, layers of different rock bits settle at the bottom of lakes and oceans. Think of each layer as a page in a book. One piece of paper is not heavy. But a stack of telephone books is very heavy & would squish anything that was underneath. Over time the layers of sand and mud at the bottom of lakes & oceans turned into rocks. These are the sedimentary rocks we now find.
Sedimentary rocks cover 75% of the earth’s surface. Most of the rocks found on the Earth’s surface is sedimentary even though sedimentary rocks only make up less than 8% of all the rocks that make up Earth. Sedimentary rocks are only a thin veneer over a crust consisting mainly of igneous and metamorphic rock.
Mudstone and Shale
Mudstone is made up of tiny clay particles (less than 0.05mm) that can’t be seen with the naked eye. These tiny particles are deposited in quiet low-energy environments like tidal flats, lakes, and the deep sea.
When mudstone is buried beneath many layers of sediment deposited on top, it may be compressed to form shale, which breaks easily.
Sandstone
Sandstone is made of sand grains (0.05mm to 2mm) that may have been deposited in the sea, by rivers, or in deserts, and later cemented together by minerals precipitated from groundwater.
Other Sedimentary Rocks
Conglomerate
Conglomerate is made up of rounded pebbles (>2mm) cemented together. They are formed from sediment deposited by fast-flowing rivers or by waves on beaches.
Limestone & Chalk
Limestone is made up of calcium carbonate (fizzes with acid). This may be shell fragments, mud, or small, round ooliths that form in tropical lagoons.
Chalk is a soft white limestone made from the microscopic skeletons of marine plankton.
To Log the Cache...
Answer questions below:
1) What type of Rocks can be found at Oakwell?
2) What year did the Pit close?
3) Around the park you can find lots of rocks, see if you can find three of the rocks and describe what it looks and feels like. You could even take a picture of them. Bonus points if you can find a bit with fossil prints in it...
Please email me your answers and don't put them in your log.