# Kirkby Summit Colliery,Jan 2013



## skankypants (Jan 22, 2013)

Not the most intresting of sights,,,but the snow did show it off in a better light....was here for around 2 hours before being escorted off by security..was a solo visit...

Summit Colliery as it will always be known is officially called Kirkby Colliery.
The pit was owned by the Butterley Company and was sunk in 1883 and sadly it closed in 1968 with the loss of over 1,000 jobs.

In its hey-day the pit was the main employer in the area, having a brick yard and a railway attached to it.

There was a very good community spirit in the area with the miner's families taken on trips to the sea-side and children also treated to a Christmas Party. The miner's welfare also looked after the older members of the community by putting on trips for them also. 
Summit also had a very good band who competed in many competitions.

There was a big influx of miners from Wales that came to work at Summit pit and it is interesting how many of them have stayed and brought up their families and have been accepted as Kirkby people.

There are 5 streets of houses which were built for the miners and at one time water and electricity for these houses was obtained from the pit. The only building left standing from the pit is the pit-head baths which is now owned by Kirkby Tyres Co.

The area was devastated when the pit closed which had a knock-on effect for the local tradesmen and businesses. There was devastation in the area.
There is quite a lot of industry in the area now but a lot of local people have now left Kirkby as most of the pits in this area have now closed.






























































Thanks for looking...


----------



## Ramsgatonian (Jan 22, 2013)

I like it, thanks for sharing your pics.


----------



## Lucky Pants (Jan 22, 2013)

Looks like a good explore ,thanks for sharing .


----------



## shatners (Jan 22, 2013)

Nice work mate..... had no idea there was anything left here. Still kick myself for not making it to Welbeck before it got flattened :-(


----------



## worldoftheshadows (Jan 29, 2013)

Interesting, But this is the remains of the concrete plant - nothing to do with the colliery which was the other side of the railway (the bathhouse is now kirkby tyres)

Dave


----------



## whitelaw (Jan 29, 2013)

I think it is an interesting site - not so much because of what is left, but _why_ it is left. This is a testament to the venom of a former government whose detestation of the working man was paramount. Mining in the UK could so easily have been made profitable, but that was never the objective. The government of the day preferred to buy far more expensive coal in that work with the miners. The result was what you see in these images. A whole livelihood destroyed, communities wrecked, and for what? Only so that those who did not depend on it could feel good about having won a battle that never needed to be fought.


----------



## skankypants (Jan 29, 2013)

Whitelaw,you have summed it up a treat,and hit the nail on the head with your views,and i believe are totaly correct,,,not just with this industry either...if you like pits/collieries,search on here,for near by Clipstone ...thanks.


----------



## UrbanX (Jan 30, 2013)

Nice one! Those externals look great in the snow too!


----------



## prettyvacant71 (Feb 3, 2013)

Wot a shame these magnificent industries that Britain were once famous for have all but a few closed.

Great pics Skanks...looks abit dodgy with all that snow wiv holes and wotevers there to trip u up, least u had 2hrs there

take care m8!


----------

