Lady
Pit, one of our local collieries closed in 1903. It was operated by the Beard
and Bugsworth Colliery Company and was
one of several mines owned by L & E
Hall. This mine, also known as Beard Colliery was opened in 1816 – 1818 and was
the largest in the vicinity of Furness Vale.
There were numerous shafts: Air Pit; Chain Pit; Furnace Pit, Lady Pit;
Blind Pit, Deans Piece Pit and Bullbower Pit.
A
feature of the mine was the Jowhole Tunnel which was dug in 1853. This ran in a
straight, almost westerly direction to a yard off of Marsh Lane near Gow Hole
Farm. Here was a wharf where coal could be loaded by tipplers on to road
vehicles. A horse drawn tramway ran through the tunnel and this opened into a
number of sidings at Gow Hole. The site is now Nick Rowleys Yard.
The
opening of the railway between Sheffield and Manchester allowed high quality,
inexpensive coal to be transported across the Pennines and our local mines
could not stand up to the competition.
Lady
Pit was sited at the point where Dolly Lane meets Lady Pit Road. The buildings
have been demolished and the land restored to farming. The colliery was served by a short railway
line which extended from Gowhole sidings, crossing the field on a low embankment
which may still be seen in the photograph below.
