the pit ben lawrance

Harworth Colliery was one of the many coalmines in the area of Bassetlaw on the border between South Yorkshire and North Nottinghamshire. The colliery along with the surrounding villages of Harworth and Bircotes have seen quite a troubled history right from the start of construction in 1913, through the miners strike and up until the halt of coal production in the early 2000’s.

Harworth Colliery

The Harworth Comrades club was set up for the miners during the troubles of the Miners Strike. Here, they could meet up to discuss the actions they were going to take. Now, it serves as another social club where people go to drink.

BIRCOTES & HARWORTH club

Bircoates Harworth Community Hall was another venue where entertainment acts could

come and perform. The building is still open and often hosts the gigs of local bands.

COMRADES CLUB

MINERS INSTITu

Bircotes and Harworth Miners Institute was a building located near the leisure centre. It was where members of the miner’s institution (which was nearly everyone in village) could go for a drink. There were 3 bars located on as many floors which featured comfortable seating and a large stage/ dance floor. Over the years the building had seen many musical and entertainment acts visit to perform on stage in front on the miners and their families. Many people from all around the village came to socialize here and have a drink so it became a hub for the social and communal life of the area. After the pit closed, the miner’s institute stayed open and for years was still popular among the members of the village. On the 12 of May 2009, someone broke into the institute building and set it on fire. Firefighters were not able to control the fire in time and the ‘stute’ as it was known burnt to the ground. Shortly after the fire burnt out, the building was demolished and is now an empty patch of land.

TE

The Brickworks at Harworth Colliery was established by German Developers but production stopped due to the outbreak of World War One. Barber Walker took over in 1922 and planned to use the bricks to build the colliery village of Bircotes, but their poor quality led to the closure of the brickworks, and Watnall Bricks were used.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank Sam Davison for all of her hard work in putting this book together.

Images used of the towers’ construction were taken from the builders website Slipform Middle East LLC. www.slipform.ae

Images of Harworth and Bircoates Miners Institute were taken from the Francis Frith Collection. www.francisfrith.com

The historical Images were taken from Nottinghamshire Collieries Picture Postcards by Angela Franks. Franks, A (2000). Nottinghamshire Collieries. Keyworth, Nottingham: Reflections of a Bygone Age, Page 19.© Ben Lawrance