Bestwood Colliery 1890.

[John]

Two shafts 13ft 6ins diam, depth 404 yards, working Top Hard seam.

Headstocks, wrought iron latticed with 18ft sheave wheels.

Winding Engines.
Pair of vertical winding engines 36in cyls, 6ft stroke, 19ft drum.
Pair of horizontal winding engines, 30inch cyls, 5ft 6in stroke, 18ft drum.

Boilers.
7 Gallaway and 5 Kesterton boilers all fed by Juckes mechanical stokers.

Ventilation by a 46ft by 15ft wide Guibal fan driven by a pair of compound marine engines.


2009, the vertical engines and engine house together with headstocks have been preserved on site.

[garryo]

Bestwood Koepe Winder

From my archives!

According to "Mining Technology" page 163 dated May 1986, Bestwood was the first colliery in the UK to use the Koepe system.
The article states, "The Bestwood colliery Nottinghamshire put a koepe system to work in 1880, This historic winder was powered by with twin horizontal cylinders of 750mm bore & 1676mm stroke. The Koepe wheel consisted of outer rings and brake paths similar to those used on normal winders of the period, these being placed closed together. The wheel was then lagged with short timbers in which was turned a a groove, originally 30mm deep and which had deepened a further 33mm in three years. The rope diameter was 38mm and the payload was 2.25t hoisted from a depth of 380 metres. Twin brake paths were fitted of 5486mm diameter ,same as drum and band type brakes were fitted."

The article mentions a balance rope being fitted. Sadly when the colliery was visited by the Federation Institution of Mining Engineers in September 1890 the installation had been converted to a drum winder, no reason given!.
The article refers to "Bestwood Colliery" TIMinE, Vol2 1890-1891 page 44.
So their you go a first for Nottingham

[John]

So that must have been the shaft where the winding engine was removed for scrap after the shafts had been filled in, as the other is a vertical winding engine that has been preserved and listed.
Thanks for that information Garry, every little piece of info fills the gaps in history.

My only memories of Bestwood are from when I was doing my underground training. We were taken there on a visit, saw both ends of the Lancaster Drift, the Cable Belt, and we were taken up the tailgate of one of Bestwoods low faces, we weren't allowed under the ripping lip though!! Glad in a way as it was only about 18 inches high!! Pretty low for Nottinghamshire pits.

One thing has stayed with me from that visit, we were walking the main trunk belt inbye, our instructor stopped to have a chat with a feller, they finished and the feller said "see that sign" laughed, and jumped on the belt for a ride outbye. Yeah you guessed, the sign said "Riding This Belt Is Forbidden"

Love a pound note for everyone I rode in my time!!!