Giant’s Hall Colliery

Shafts
No.1 Pit, originally sunk early 1800s to Ince Four Feet Mine. Worked out and closed c.1846. Enlarged to 14 feet diameter and sunk to 173 yards intersecting Ince Seven Feet Mine at 165 yards, by the Wigan Coal & Iron Co. Ltd. Originally known as the Billy Pit.
No.2 Pit, 18 feet diameter sunk 1876 – 1881 to 606 yards. Upcast (furnace) shaft, originally intended for coal winding but little used.
No.3 Pit, 18 feet diameter, downcast and coal winding, sunk to 616 yards, 1876 – 1881.
Coal Seams Intersected (Nos.2 & 3 Pits) – Riding Mine, Park Yard, Ince Yard, Bulldog, Deep Yard, Ince Four Feet, Ince Seven Feet, Pemberton Yard, Pemberton Five Feet, Pemberton Two Feet, Pemberton Four Feet, Wigan Five Feet, Wigan Four Feet.
Westwood Fault intersected in No.3 Pit at 496 yards from surface.
Lower seams not intersected in the shafts but worked by tunnelling: Cannel, King, Haigh Yard, Arley.
Nos.2 & 3 Pits lower sections subsequently filled up and plugs inserted at 356 yards (No.2 Pit) and 355.8 Yards (No.3 Pit), i.e. below Pemberton Four Feet horizons.

Winding
No.2 Pit, Twin cylinder horizontal winding engine, Haigh Foundry, 1881, 36 inches x 78 inches, Cornish valves, Gooch valve gear, flat rope reels, centre flywheel/brake path 20 feet 6 inches diameter Dismantled 1900, converted to round rope winding and re-erected at Victoria Colliery (No.1 North Pit). Headgear also dismantled. Second-hand winding engine erected in wooden engine house.
Twin cylinder horizontal 21 inches x 60 inches, slide valves, single flat rope 3 inches wide by 5/8 inch thick, single deck cage.
Headgear of timber, 43 feet 4 inches high to pulley centre, single pulley 11 feet diameter, two wire rope conductors 11/8 inches diameter.
No.3 Pit, Twin cylinder horizontal winding engine, Haigh Foundry, 1881, Cornish valves, Gooch valve gear, cylinders 36 inches x 78 inches, flat rope reels 15 feet diameter (bare), flywheel/brake path 20 feet 6 inches diameter x 10 inches wide, originally band brake, subsequently Melling’s post brakes and brake engine and Melling’s controller, also steam reversing engine. Flat ropes 4 inches wide by 13/16 inches thick. Headgear of timber 58 feet 8 inches to pulley centres, pulleys 14 feet diameter, six tubs wound in double deck cages, three 11/8 inches diameter wire rope conductors to each cage.
Skips, three tons capacity, installed 1954, winding converted to round ropes 1955 (11/8 inches diameter), winding engine fitted with 18 feet diameter parallel drum by Worsley Mesnes Ironworks.
Headgears at No.2 and No.3 Pits replaced by steel structures 1955. No.3 Pit headgear made by Nortons Tividale.

Underground Haulage
Twin cylinder horizontal engine at surface, 16 inches x 30 inches, flywheel 7 feet diameter, geared to third motion shaft with 8 feet diameter Clifton wheel for endless rope haulage.
Twin cylinder horizontal engine – in No.3 Pit engine house basement – 10 inches x 24 inches, 6 feet 6 inches flywheel, geared to third motion shaft with 7 feet diameter Clifton wheel operating endless rope haulage.
Electric haulages, 100hp. Pearson & Knowles with 6 feet diameter Clifton wheel (with post brakes) located in Wigan Four Feet, operating endless rope haulage.
Two inbye haulages (endless rope), 10hp. and 8hp, also Pikrose No.2 haulage gear.

Compressed Air haulages – John Wood & Sons twin cylinder 6 inches x 8 inches, endless rope, two John Wood & Sons 6 inches x 8 inches direct rope, John Wood & Sons 4 inches x 6in., direct rope, Swift & House 6 inches x 8 inches direct rope.
Self-Acting “Jigs” – Four.

Pumping
Beam pumping engine installed 1876 at No.1 Pit, two-arbor plug-handle valve gear, later replaced by pit bottom pumping engine.
Electric Main Pumps, Pemberton Four Feet to Ince Seven Feet, 30hp. 6-stage Mather & Platt, 540 feet head, 2900rpm., 90gpm, 440/500 volts.
Ince Seven Feet to surface, two Mather & Platt 30hp. 6-stage pumps, 2900rpm., 90gpm.
Compressed Air Pumps (inbye), B Tangye pumps various sizes 2½ inches x 4 inches ram to 6 inches x 12 inches ram.

Power
Former No.2 Pit winding engine house used as power house. Two engine/alternator sets and air compressor installed, c.1910.
Electrical Power, No.1 Set, Westinghouse 150kW., 2200 volt alternator direct coupled to Browett, Lindley twin cylinder inverted vertical high speed enclosed engine, 17 inches x 11 inches stroke.
No.2 Set, 175kW., 440 volt alternator and inverted vertical enclosed compound engine, 13 inches x 22 inches x 11 inches stroke
Compressed Air, Alley & McLellan SENTINEL 2-stage vertical compressor, 500cfm., 100psi., belt drive from Belliss & Morcom inverted vertical enclosed compound engine, 13 inches x 22 inches x 12inches.
Air compressor (located underground), 214cfm, 100psi., direct coupled to 70hp. electric motor.

Screening Plant
Pemberton Four Feet and Five Feet screens, two inverted vertical engines, 6½ inches x 10 inches and 7 inches x 10 inches
Wigan Four Feet screens, inverted vertical engine 7 inches x 10 inches Steam hoist 12 inches x 9 feet stroke.

Ventilation
Furnace at No.2 Pit until 1920.
1920 – SIROCCO fan installed, 6 feet diameter, 100,000cfm., 2.6 inches wg., fan pulley 5 feet 6 inches diameter, 6 ropes, 70hp. electric motor, motor pulley 2feet 4 inches diameter

Boilers
3 Lancashire boilers 7 feet x 28 feet, 65psi.
3 Lancashire boilers 8 feet x 30 feet, c.100psi.
Feed water heater, vertical 7 feet diameter x 28 feet high.
Boiler feed, 2 injectors and 2 pumps.
Circular brick chimney 225 feet high.

NOTE – One boiler replaced 1945 and probably others at various times.

CLOSURE – January 1961.

Copyright © NMRS Records: G. Hayes Collection