Moston Colliery, Manchester - A Victorian Super-Pit

The story of a typical Manchester Colliery, one of many pits, which are now virtually forgotten. Where hundreds of people worked and where hundreds of thousands of tons of coal left in the coal trains, now there is nothing to see. The author's father worked his way up from being a hewer of coal to an Overman of the pit.

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Moston was an early 19th century pit, which was flooded, quite dramatically but without loss of life to the men, boys or horses that were working underground at the time. Messrs Platts of Oldham, the textile machinery makers, who needed coke for their iron works, sank a new pit and at the time, it was one of the most modern in the Manchester coalfield, with state-of-the-art shafts and machinery. At the time of Nationalisation, in 1947, it was thought that Moston had nearly 100 years of life, but it closed in 1950 because of steeply inclined seams. This is the story of a typical Manchester Colliery, one of many pits, which are now virtually forgotten. Where hundreds of people worked and where hundreds of thousands of tons of coal left in the coal trains, now there is nothing to see; just the memories of a few ex-miners and their families. The author's father worked his way up from being a hewer of coal to an Overman of the pit. He took his son underground with him on the occasional weekend, kindling an interest, which he has retained all his life.
The colliery, situated near to Oldham was only two miles from Manchester City centre, closing in June 1950 after 130 years activity, ending up nearly 2,000 feet deep. It covers the production; history of the company; social conditions in the pit; the ponies and pit cat (the rat catcher) and details of the near disaster when the pit was inundated with water in 1884. The pit's history must be similar to many others but research over the years has brought to life once more this important employer and provider of work, long gone and almost forgotten.