Chatterley Whitfield Heritage Centre

ALDERMAN JAMES EVANS J.P. LORD MAYOR - CITY OF STOKE ON TRENT 1966-1967 Born in Burslem in 1904, second of eight children - Son and grandson of miners. Left school at 13.   Entered Coal mining industry.   Went underground at 14 years of age.   Worked at every job from: Pony Driver, Door Trapper, Haulage Hand, Coal Face and Charge Hand official. At age of 18 became interested in Trade Union activities and realised the need to improve my education.   Attended Wedgwood Institute, Burslem, studying English and Mathematics.   Gained 2 first class certificates in each subject.   At same time joined the political wing of the Trade Union Movement and became active in the Labour Movement. At age of 21 was elected as collector and canvesser for my trade union.   Appointed to Branch Committee at 22 years of age and over next 21 years filled every office in the Sneyd Branch of the N.U.M. (Chairman, Secretary and Delegate. For 12 years was ...

Friends of Chatterley Whitfield chatterleywhitfieldfriends@gma il.com Newsletter April 2013. Chairman Don Munro 01782 536566 e-mail:jean.munro@virgin.net Vice Chairman Jim McPhillips 01782 637963 Secretary Alex Cope 01332 862710 e-mail: chatterleywhitfieldfriends@gma il.com Treasurer Geoff Oakes 01782 533576 e-mail:geoff_oakes2000@yahoo.co.uk Welcome to a very delayed Winter/Spring Newsletter for which I apologise. As you can see from the above at our AGM in November there were a number of changes to the committee. After many years Jim asked for personal reasons if he could step down as Chair and Don superbly stepped up and was voted in as our new Chair. For almost the same reasons Mick stepped down as secretary and Alex stepped up and took over as secretary. Geoff remains as our Treasurer. I am sure we would all want to thank Jim and Mick for their amazing help in keeping the Friends together and in help making the Annual “Heritage Open Day” ...

Belts, Bells and the Bullhurst by Barbara Harding It was to be the ultimate experience for my two friends and I, when in 1953 we went on an underground visit to the Bullhurst seam in Chatterley Whitfield colliery. At that time I was one of only three girls working in the area laboratory based at the pit. When the visit was first mentioned, we were all very excited, if a little apprehensive. However, Gladys Walker, Joyce Dawson, and I were very keen to experience what it was like to work underground. We were told to bring in some old clothes. I had a boiler suit and a pair of strong but comfortable shoes. We were to go underground after work on Friday evening. My boss Mr Walter Robertson, the Area Chief Scientist, would accompany us. We all felt thrilled by this wonderful opportunity to see pitmen and pit work at first hand. The visit started when I was given a black pit helmet that had to be adjusted to stop i...

I am always searching the internet, looking for articles and I came across this link to the Chatterley Whitfield News, issue 1, Autumn 1986 Chatterley-Whitfield-News Do you have an other articles or memories you can share ? Please get in touch In the meantime a bit of light reading..... www.aditnow.co.uk - Chatterley-Whitfield-Coal-Mine - History Reading

The date at which coal was first mined systematically in the Whitfield area is not known, but there are references to mining in the manor of Tunstall from the late 13th century onwards. A local tradition claims that the monks of the Hulton Abbey came to nearby Ridgeway during the 14th and 15th centuries, to work coal from some of the eight seams outcropping half a mile east of Whitfield. These early workings were known as 'footrails' and were driven down from the surface. Shaw's 'History of the Potteries' tells us that in 1750, Ralph Leigh of Burslem collected coal from Whitfield twice a day. His six horses each carried between two and three hundredweights of coal along lanes which were impassable to wagons. These draughts of coal were each worth about seven pence (3p) and Leigh received one shilling (5p) a day for his services. In 1838, Thomas Hargreaves conducted a survey and valuation of the colliery at Whitfield on behalf of its proprietors, representat...

The Friends of Chatterley Whitfield   The members of the Friends all have different reasons for joining. Some used to work at Whitfield while others worked in the mining industry elsewhere. Some live or used to live nearby while others have never been to the city. Some are interested in the site’s past, and others in its future. We have one thing in common, however. We don’t want to this important site to be forgotten. The Association started in 2001 as part of the project by English Heritage, English Partnerships, Stoke-on-Trent City Council and others to regenerate the site. We are independent of any other organisation, but we are a member of the Chatterley Whitfield Partnership. We have a formal constitution with elected officials and a committee. Our Patron is Sir Neil Cossons OBE, who used to be one of the directors of the Chatterley Whitfield Mining Museum and was the Chairman of English Heritage during the first six years of this regener...