Golborne Lower Florida Seam

The History of Golborne Colliery (South of the 60Yard Fault)

The name Golborne derives from the Old English golde and burna, and means "stream where marsh marigolds grow". The earliest settlements in the present-day town were on banks of the Millingford Brook, hence its name being derived from a water course where calendula grew. Golborne has been recorded in ancient documents as Goldeburn in 1187, Goldburc in 1201, Goseburn and Goldburn in 1212 and Golburne in 1242. Golborne and Gowborne were 16th-century spellings.

A settlement at Golborne has existed since at least the time of the Domesday book. The manor was held in two moieties, half by the Lords of Lowton, and the half by the Golbornes up to the reign of Henry III, and later by various families including the Fleetwoods and Leghs.

The old Manor of Golborne stood to the north side of the village, giving its name to a public house on Church Street (now demolished). The manor and its lands extended as far as St Luke's Church in Lowton, and also gives its name to Manor Avenue and Manor Court.

Golborne Colliery was situated in the urban district of Golborne in the County of Lancaster, roughly midway between the towns of Wigan and Warrington. The upcast shaft, No. 2, 14 feet in diameter, was sunk about 1865 to the Lower Florida seam and was deepened later, in two stages, to its final depth of 606 yards; the downcast, No. 3, 18 feet in diameter and 606 yards deep, was sunk in 1902. Coal is wound at No. 3 shaft only but men are wound at both Nos. 2 and 3. There was also a shallow shaft, No. 1, 143 yards deep which was untravellable and was not used except that, being in direct contact with the upcast shaft and the fan drift, it is traversed by a small part of the return air.

The seams worked in decending order were, Crombouke, Ince 6ft, Higher Florida, Lower Florida, Trencherbone, Peacock and Plodder.

Locally the Colliery site was known as the 'Bonk' which originated in the migration of Welsh miners to North West coal mines: 'Bonk' derives from the Welsh: banc

In general, the seams dip at the gradient of 1 in 4 to 1 in 6 in an easterly direction. In the early days the dip coal was won by haulage roads from Nos. 1 and 2 shafts but an imaginative development took place when No. 3 shaft was sunk in 1902. This shaft was taken down to a horizon well below the Arley seam, the lowest seam in the Coal Measures normally worked in this area, and a tunnel, the Main Pit Tunnel, was driven approximately level in an easterly direction to strike all the seams. This early scheme of horizon mining besides simplifying the haulage arrangements doubtless made great improvements in the ventilation of the workings also.

No further major development occurred for some time. The workings to the south of the Main Pit Tunnel were bounded by an upthrow 180 feet fault (60yard Fault). Preliminary exploration beyond this fault was carried out in 1928-29 but it was not until 1949 that main drivages, the two level Wigan Two feet tunnels, were started to make a thorough investigation of the area beyond the fault. Rapid development in the seams after the coal had been reached showed the position to be very promising. It was decided, therefore, to effect some concentration of the haulage arrangements by driving a new locomotive haulage road into the area, branching from the Main Pit Tunnel at a point 230 yards from the pit bottom; the new road would also serve the useful purpose of providing a second intake airway for the new workings. It was in this tunnel, the New South Locomotive Tunnel, that the explosion occurred, after it had been driven a distance of 615 yards.

The tunnel was started in August, 1956, heading due south l at a gradient, rising inbye, of 1 in 180. It was driven to a point 82 yards beyond the main return and was then stopped for an explosion-proof air crossing to be made.

The tunnel was re-started in March 1957. The Arley seam (2 feet 7 inches thick) had been encountered in the roof a short time before the tunnel had stopped. The seam dipped slightly in the direction of the advance of the tunnel; when the floor of the scam reached a point a foot or so below the tunnel floor a small area of known old workings was struck; appropriate arrangements had been made in the driving of the tunnel to approach this goaf. Although the old workings were of a solid nature there was a slight draw of air into them from the tunnel.

In June, 1957, a faulted zone was encountered but no unusual trouble was experienced; a second faulted area, 90 feet wide was encountered in September. This was crossed successfully but after a distance of 40 feet had been driven, the Arley seam was struck again, unexpectedly, in the roof. The Arley dipped at the gradient of 1 in 9 in the line of the tunnel, gradually passed through the tunnel face and went out in the floor within a distance of 60 yards. Soon afterwards, the line of drivage of the tunnel was turned to a beating of c.120 degrees and was driven at the bearing for the next 1670m, during the course of driving the roadway it passed through all the seams until stopping at the Crombouke Seam.

This was road further complimented by the Wigan 2 feet Intake and Return to fully open up the reserves below the 60yard fault.

In 1975 the colliery was connected underground to Bickershaw Colliery and thereafter became part of the Bickershaw Complex (Globorne, Bickerhsaw and Parsonage)

The Colliery was closed in 1989

Production South of the 60Yard Fault

Crombouke avg section worked 1.58m 2,357,047 tonnes

Ince 6ftavg section worked 1.3m2,016,937 tonnes

Higher Florida avg section worked 1.07m628,808 tonnes

Lower Floridaavg section worked 1.6m4,087,476 tonnes

Wigan 4ft minimal worked

Trencherbone avg section worked 1.0m1,258,646 tonnes

Peacockminimal worked

Plodder avg section worked 2.0m2,125,568 tonnes

Total output south of the 60 Yard Fault12,474,482 tonnes

Done