Taylor Colliery

Shafts
Commenced early 1860s, sunk into faulted ground.
No.1 Pit – 12 feet diameter sunk to Arley Mine at 489 yards from surface. Coal winding and downcast.
No.2 Pit – 12 feet diameter, upcast ventilation. Arley Mine proved at 489 yards from surface. Sunk to 586 yards. Shaft intersected a fault at 90 yards.
Tunnel driven from 575 yards level eastwards to Haigh Yard Mine.
Small Shaft – 8 feet diameter sunk to underground canal at 96 feet from surface.

Coal Seams intersected (No.2 Pit)
Ince Four Feet, Ince Seven Feet, Ince Furnace, Cannel, King, Ravine, Haigh Yard, Bone, Smith, Arley.
Tunnels driven through faults to reach Wigan Six Feet (208 yards), Pemberton Mines (171 yards) and eastwards to Cannel Mine (489 yards).

Winding
No.1 Pit, twin cylinder horizontal engine, 32 inches x 72 inches, flat ropes, reels 14 feet 2 inches dia. (bare), flywheel with band brake (originally), later post brakes and H.J.H. King brake engine, VISOR overwind/overspeed controller. Shaft originally fitted out for winding baskets, converted to cage winding by WC&ICo. Ltd. Two double deck cages arranged back-to-back, tubs loaded from sides. Three wire rope conductors per cage and two rubbing ropes between cages. Wooden rubbing pads fitted to backs of cages.

No.2 Pit, twin cylinder horizontal engine 12 inches x 17 inches, round ropes, winding drum 4 feet 6 inches dia. x 3 feet 9 inches wide, foot operated brake (band type), winding rope 1 inches dia., single hoppit wound.

Headgears at both pits of timber construction. No.1 Pit headgear replaced c.1930 by RSJ structure 40 feet high with single pulley 16 feet 1½ inches dia., one single deck cage installed. No.2 Pit headgear replaced c1930 by timber headframe 30 feet 8 inches high with single 8 feet diameter pulley. Winding engines converted to electrical operation early 1950s.

Power
Electrically driven Worthington two-stage horizontal air compressor with intercooler, 350cfm., 150rpm., 65psi., 2200 volt motor, 70hp., 575rpm, rope drive to compressor. Air receiver 4 feet 6 in dia., 15 feet long.

Pumping
Deeper seams exhausted by 1932, shafts filled up in lower section and seals inserted at 216 yards in No.1 Pit and 214 yards in No.2 Pit. Electric MONO pumps installed in No.2 Pit:
Ince Furnace Mine 7½hp., 65gpm., pumping to surface, static head 169 feet. No.10 Mouthing (210 yards), 12½hp., 70gpm., pumping via. Pemberton tunnel to John Pit Wigan Four Feet lodge.

Ventilation
Furnace at No.2 Pit to c1920.
Walker “Indestructible” fan installed 11 feet 6 inches dia. x 5 feet wide, fan pulley 8 feet dia., 100,000cfm., 2½ inches wg., at 200rpm., electric motor drive 70hp., 2200 volts. 8 – 1in. dia. ropes to fan pulley.
Ventilation linked via. Pemberton Five Feet Mine to John Pit. Taylor No.2 Pit becoming upcast for both collieries.

Boilers
Originally three egg-ended boilers. Later, three Lancashire boilers 70psi. From 1930 one Lancashire boiler 7 feet x 26 feet Square section chimney. Two boiler feed pumps 8 inches x 10 inches x 4½ inches, stand-by pump 6½ inches x 10 inches x 31/8 inches

CLOSURE
1930 for coal production.
Retained for pumping and ventilation. (see John Pit)

Copyright © NMRS Records: G. Hayes Collection