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The Old Pump House

Office Directions

In March 2010, Keyteach moved administrative headquarters into premises at Poynton in Cheshire known as "The Old Pump House". The building dates from 1889 and was built as a Winding Engine House for the Lady Pit coal mine. The Old Pump House is not used as a classroom training venue as scheduled courses take place at our London Training Centre or we provide dedicated classroom sessions at customer premises.

Despite a multitude of buildings that supported the coal mining business in Poynton since the 16th Century, the Old Pump House and the Capstan House next door are now the only remnants of a number of collieries and an industry that had a profound impact on the industrial development of the area for hundreds of years.

The Old Pump House 2010

History

The earliest record of coal mining in Poynton was in 1589, but it is likely that coal was used in the area many years before this. The advent of steam in the early 18th century enabled deeper pits to be worked and despite the cost, the steam engines that were widely used in the area gives evidence to the worth of coalmining in Poynton.

© David Kitching 1998

In 1765 when the Macclesfield canal was proposed it was estimated that the local pits with their new engines could provide 10,000 tons of coal a year to Macclesfield (at 4d per cwt) which was considerably more than the 700 tons of 1707. The canal provided cheap transport to Macclesfield, Marple and Bollington and in 1836 production had risen to 180,184 tons and profits were £30,049. Stockport was still the largest market and transport problems to there were eased with the coming of the tramways and a new coal yard was built at the end of Towers Road close to the boundary with Hazel Grove.


Lady Pit Colliery from Middlewood Road c1904
Photographer unknown (commercial postcard)

Courtesy of Poynton Community Web site

Poynton Colliery Railway. Loco No 5 c.1933
Photograper The late Henry Downes
Courtesy of Poynton Community Web site

In 1897 Poynton produced 244,516 tons of coal or about 1/3 of all coal produced in Cheshire with over 400 men working underground. However, the seams were becoming uneconomic and a number of closures took place during the early decades of the 20th Century. The final closure came on Friday, 30 August 1935 when some 250 men were made redundant. Work for about 80 men was offered at a colliery in Kent but very few took up the opportunity

© David Kitching 1998

The output of coal in the last eight months had fallen to 41,090 tons with a value of £25,267. Some men were kept on for a while to assist with the removal of scrap material from below ground but the cost of pumping was such that much cable, rail etc., was left down the pits. Within two weeks of pumping ceasing the water had risen to within a few feet of the top of the pit shafts and the workings were abandoned for good. All the surface plant was scrapped by Marlowes of Dukinfield during the next year leaving just the shells of engine houses etc, spoil heaps and the shafts as reminders of Poynton's main industry for some 150 years.

With the exception of the Old Pump House, the most obvious reminders of the industry are the spoil heaps or 'dirt rucks' as they are known locally. Anson Pit dirt ruck is the best surviving example and it still retains traces of the trackbed for the tubway which climbed to its summit. At Park Pits the spoil has been subject to speculators extracting shale for roadbuilding and more recently a washing plant removed much of the small coal that was mixed in with the shale and this was sold to the Central Electricity Generating Board for use at Carrington Power Station. Poynton coal was therefore still providing electric power until the 1980s.

Acknowledgements and Sources:

Poynton A Coalmining Village web site
© David Kitching 1998

Poynton A Coalmining Village; social history, transport and industry 1700 - 1939, by W.H.Shercliff, D.A.Kitching and J.M.Ryan, published by W.H.Shercliff, 1983. ISBN 0 9508761
© W.H. Shercliff, D.A. Kitching & J.M. Ryan 2005

Poynton Community Web site

Further Reading :

Web Site Poynton A Coalmining Village © David Kitching 1998