The Friends returned to Hemingfield ready for another busy weekend of site clearance, material reclamation, and more than a dash of industrial archaeology. Discussions on everything from future developments, the history of the site and the physical structure of cast iron could be heard around the pit yard as the volunteers continued to get stuck into the work of bringing life back to the site.
Welcome to Hemingfield – just visiting?
On Saturday the Friends were delighted to host a visit from a number of members of the Northern Mine Research Society. It was a pleasure to introduce visitors to Hemingfield and our colliery site; the two shafts, the 1840s pump and winding engine houses and later machinery and buildings.
Saturday was another bright day to open what would be a very busy working party weekend with Friends, volunteers and visitors in and around the site on both days. As usual Friends Glen (Director and Site manager) and Steve (Chair of the Friends) were the first to appear, opening up the colliery gates and preparing the plan of action for the first of two days of volunteer work as the site comes alive once more.
Hemingfield basin – with Hemingfield Colliery above
Springtime showers marked the beginning of the first working party in April, but they quickly cleared, and as bluer skies returned the Friends and volunteers got to grips with another weekend of site clearance.
Friends of Hemingfield Colliery 