U3A WTT Oakthorpe Donnisthorpe Stuart Galloway

Route Summary

A circular walk starting in Oakthorpe via Donnisthorpe Woodland Park site of the former Donnisthorpe Colliery

Route Overview

Category: Walking Length: 8.770 km / 5.48 mi Last Modified: 5th April 2016 Difficulty: Medium Rating: Unrated Surface: Average Date Published: 3rd April 2016

Description

Starting point car park at the Shoulder of Mutton pub Chapel Street Oakthorpe DE12 7QT, ask landlords permission to park.

Waypoints

Oakthorpe (52.71374; -1.52598)

1 / 12 In 1086, Oakthorpe was part of and was amongst several manors given to Nigel of Stafford by William the Conqueror. In the past Oakthorpe's main use was for mining as there were numerous deep active mines in the area, however since the closing down of the mines in the 1990s Oakthorpe has simply become a residential village.

The earliest records for coal mining in and South Derbyshire go back to the early thirteenth century; although it is likely that coal was mined before this time, possibly back to prehistoric times. During the mediaeval period Abbey owned the lands of Oakthorpe and was known to burn coal supplied by packhorse and cart from its lands; it is likely that the coal came from Oakthorpe. The first record of mining at Oakthorpe dates from 1412 and suggests that it had been established for some time. From the fifteenth to the seventeenth centuries landowners and yeomen farmers made their living from a mixed economy of mining and agriculture; in 1606 Oakthorpe mine produced some 3000 tons of coal and employed around 20 men. It is interesting to note that compensation for damage caused to the land by mining was being paid to tenants in 1635 so it is not just a modern problem.

Major expansion of the Leicestershire coalfield continued from the middle of the eighteenth century until the end of the nineteenth century when its heyday was almost over and the canal was starting to decline in favour of the railway. By the middle of the twentieth century the deep mines were all closed and had been replaced with opencast mining, running in two phases; the first during the 1940?s and early 1950?s took shallow deposits and the later phase from the early to late 1980?s taking a deeper cut.

The mines have been extremely problematic for the residents of Oakthorpe, and this became a national issue when underground coal fires in the 1980s resulted in numerous houses and buildings being deformed and restructured, some to the point where they became so inhabitable that they had to be demolished. This problem was a result of the sulphurous coal, which lay beneath the village, which is capable of spontaneous combustion when exposed to sufficient air. Although most of the coal seems in the area were at a deep level, there was a shallow seam of coal which outcropped just South of School Street, inclining away from the street at an angle of about 20 degrees in a Northerly direction.

In September 1983, a property in School Street suffered substantial damage so the National Coal Board were notified and in 1984 they sank boreholes. This showed that the ambient temperatures had substantially raised however the board denied liability and did nothing to; halt the fire, inform the county, the district or the parish councils or adjacent

2 / 12 property owners, despite the fact that they had carried out a smoke test that showed an influx of air, the very cause of combustion. Their failure to notify anyone meant the fire continued to smoulder unchecked.

On the 4th April 1985 the County Council noticed a deformation of the carriageway. The NCB were contacted but once again denied liability. By the end of July smoke issued from a depression in another property in School Street so Leicestershire County Council decided to take action and engaged consultants who commenced monitoring procedures for subsidence temperatures and gaseous emissions, as well as borehole investigations to find out the extent of the fire. There was a great panic over the potential dangers and spread of fire and the media were soon involved, broadcasting the dangers in national newspapers, chat shows and the BBC news. Several more houses became unfit for habitation due to the subsidence caused by the fire, therefore had to be demolished and the residents re-housed. Despite the NCB's reluctance to admit responsibility, at this point they did get involved and agreed to pay for the rehousing of residents, refurbishment of houses and the prevention of the fire. They introduced 4 rigs into the area and drilled/injected grout and cement into the mines in order to stop the fire. They also put 4 extra rigs around the school in order to protect it.

Since the 1980s, the Coal Authority have paid £95,000 towards general repairs in the village, but have not accepted responsibility for the subsidence. Although the fires are no longer burning the village is still very much affected by the mines, as many residents are still waiting for their houses to be repaired. Similarly, Oakthorpe?s mining past has had a huge effect on the property market as both the fear of the fires being re-kindled and the general 'run-down' look of the village has meant that many locals have not been able to sell their homes.

Leave the pub car park onto Silver Street and turn right onto Main Street. Carry on until next left Canal Street, which leads to a footpath, by the side of large metal gates. Carry on this path going over two flash pools caused by subsidence. Pass another pool on the right and proceed over a stile along the rear of properties in Ramscliffe Avenue. On the left there is a large chimney of unknown history. The path meets the Ashby Wolds Heritage Trail. This follows the route of the Ashby and Nuneaton Joint Railway.( More on this later).Turn right onto the trail and almost immediately you meet Church Street with the church of St John the Evangelist on the left.

St John's Church (52.72221; -1.53449)

3 / 12 The church, dedicated to St. John, was built and endowed in 1838, at an expense of £6000, chiefly by three maiden ladies of the name of Moore; it is a neat edifice, with a tower and pinnacles. A national school was built in 1840, by Sir John Cave Browne Cave, Bart., by whom, also, it is supported.

Cross Church Road and enter Donnisthorpe Woodland Park on the site of the old colliery.

Donnisthorpe Woodland Park (52.72294; -1.53400)

4 / 12 The colliery owners Checkland and Williams first sank the mine in 1871 to a depth of 205m (672 feet). In 1890 they deepened mine to 263m (863 feet). Colliery was originally 2 pits. The current No.1 Shaft was Donisthorpe Lower Pit and No.2 Shaft was Donisthorpe Upper Pit ? different Mining Companies worked both. In 1903 the mines came under the control of the newly formed Donisthorpe Colliery Company Ltd. Over the next sixteen years they introduced a number of changes and improvements. These included installing electricity underground to replace steam and oil powered equipment. The mine output was tripled to 300,000 tons per annum over this time.

In the 1940's new reserves were being actively sought, in what became the Oakthorpe, South, Newfields and Woodfield sections. To help work these reserves a new pit bottom was constructed. Following Nationalisation, 1948 to 1952 saw the installation of modern mechanical coal winning equipment and a complete re-organisation of the main underground road transport and winding operations. As a result output rose to about 750,000 tons per annum and by the mid sixties, it had reached 1,039,018 tons per annum. To improve coal handling in 1980 a 2,200m long drift was driven to connect the pit to Rawdon surface. At the same time Donisthorpe pit bottom was reorganised and an 800 tonne vertical bunker installed. Despite the improvements over the years and the still considerable reserves (22 new faces had recently been created in this mine complex, only one of which had started production) the Mine was deemed uneconomic and scheduled for closure in 1991. As all the faces were good and level, with plenty of room the miners could not understand why the pit was being closed.

Donisthorpe Woodland Park was created in 1996 by Leicestershire County Council on the former site of Donisthorpe Colliery, which was opened in 1857. The colliery lagoons have been capped with clay and planted with new woodland. Grey alder acts as a 'nurse' species to the 20ha of newly planted woodland of Corsican pine, larch, oak, ash and cherry by creating shelter. A coppice hazel wood will provide bean and pea sticks for local gardeners.

The Hooborough Brook flows through the site with mature willow woodland on its banks and the line of the Ashby Canal runs along the edge of the park from which a network of rolled stone paths established lead across the site.

Carry on the trail going over Poplar Avenue.

Poplar Avenue (52.73001; -1.53867)

These houses were built in 1880 for local workers with the back of the house facing the road. This may be because a second row was to be built but was never started.

Continue over two more roads and just after the second one turn right signposted to Bath Yard and enter Moira Junction Local Nature Reserve.

Nature Reserve (52.73946; -1.54802)

5 / 12 The nature reserve was built on the site of the former rail coal stocking yards.

Follow the path until it passes over a miniature railway line, which runs to from the Cockers Waterside Centre to Conkers Discovery Centre. Enter the car park and you will see the Ashby Canal at its Terminus Bath Yard canal basin.

Ashby Canal and the Bath Yard Canal Basin (52.73883; -1.54291)

In the last half of the eighteenth century there had been an increasing need for transport to exploit the coal reserves at Ashby Wolds and lime from the quarries north of Ashby-de-la-Zouch. A number of alternative proposals were made from 1781 up to the final authorisation by Act of Parliament in 1795 only 14 years! Originally intended as a broad- gauge connection between the Coventry Canal and the River Trent (which it failed to reach because of cost), the Ashby Canal was constructed lock-free on a contour of 300 feet and served the coalfields around Moira and . Tramways were constructed as a cheaper option to bring in coal from surrounding pits. The tramways were completed towards the end of 1802, and the level section of the canal from Marston to Moira was opened on 19 April 1804. In 1819, the company and the Coventry Canal agreed to convert the stop lock between the canals so that it was only suitable for narrow boats, and they shared the cost of conversion. The reasons for this are unclear, since wide- beamed boats continued to operate on the canal, but could not move further afield.

In 1845, 79,929 tons of coal had passed from the Ashby Canal onto the Oxford Canal. In 1862, the tonnage had risen to 138,117 tons and by 1872 was 116,853 tons. The tonnage fell away as the new Ashby to Nuneaton Railway competed with the canal for traffic, twenty years after the opening of the Ashby & Nuneaton Junction. The tonnage transported over the Ashby canal had dropped to 33,329 tons in 1893.

6 / 12 Such was the quality of the coal, prized more highly for its burning qualities than for its use in making iron, that it was still being routinely transported on the line until the 1960s. All this mining activity unfortunately led to serious subsidence throughout the 20th Century, resulting in the closure of the canal's northern reaches. Since the 1990s, restoration work has seen stretches of canal reopen beyond . The length between Donisthorpe and what is now known as Conkers Waterside basin, at Moira was restored complete and opened for use in 2001.

There are now plans to restore the link from Donnisthorpe to Snarestone to restore the canal to its former length. However this process has been frustrated initially by the refusal of one land owner to sell land as a result funding deadlines were missed and funding was lost. In addition an Agreement with UK Coal for them to provide funds as part of a ?Planning Gain? for development of at Minorca Opencast is yet to be honoured and as far as I am aware these funds have not been forthcoming.

Proceed along the towpath towards Moira furnace, noting the small posts with information on the depth of coal seams, to the new and only lock on the Ashby Canal.

Lock (52.73566; -1.53692)

The lock is an unusual design in that it's a broad lock despite the canal only being open to narrow boats. It has 3 sets of gates to minimise water usage with short boats. Ground paddles at top, gate paddles on middle & lower gates.

Carry on along the towpath until you reach Moira Furnace. There are toilets and a café here

Moira Furnace (52.73292; -1.53567)

7 / 12 Sir Francis Rawdon Hastings, the second Earl of Moira, built the furnace in 1804. It was built to produce iron, which was used to make machine parts, tram tracks and cannonballs amongst other things. The story of Moira begins in the late 1700s when Sir Francis took over the estates left to him by his father. He took samples of coal, iron ore and limestone from the local area that at the time was just fields and wasteland. He found that the quality of these materials was ideal for making iron. By 1800 the Earl had sunk his first coal mine and in 1802 he was planning a blast furnace, fuelled with coke made from his own coal. The result was Moira Furnace. It was built in 1806, at a cost of £30,000, beside the newly opened Ashby Canal, which was to bring raw materials to the furnace and carry the finished iron to be sold in other parts of the country.

However, this was a period of development in blast furnace design and some of the features of Moira Furnace do not appear to have been successful. It was brought into blast in 1806, and used intermittently until 1811, though the foundry remained in use until after 1844 by utilising iron brought in from elsewhere.

The historical evidence shows that, although saleable iron was at times produced, over the period that the furnace operated it experienced continual problems. Documents mention bad design, bad construction, bad raw materials, and bad management, but many of the documents were written by individuals trying to divert the blame from them. The furnace was abandoned with its final charge still inside, partially smelted. Metallurgical examination has shown a high sulphur content in the raw materials, which may have been a contributory factor, and the chimney shows signs of severe overheating, indicating a design fault or operating problem.

The attached foundry continued to be used for some years, using brought-in pig iron, though it was demolished later in the 19th century. Meanwhile the bridgehouse and the engine house, which was a separate building to the side of the furnace, were converted to dwellings and survived. However, by the 1970s they had become derelict and affected by mining subsidence and the engine house was demolished. After pressure by Philip Riden and from Leicestershire Industrial History Society, the furnace and bridgehouse were scheduled as an ancient monument. North West Leicestershire District Council acquired the site in 1981, and they sponsored a Community Programme to restore the site and develop it as a museum and country park.

The furnace has become a popular site for the detection of paranormal activity by Swadlincote Paranormal Investigations, who first visited the furnace with Richard Felix and Phil Whyman from TV?s Most Haunted. They hold

8 / 12 nocturnal events here, which are open to the public. Allegedly a little boy is that is said to play tricks on the staff to this day. In the Bridge Loft it is said that screams have been heard coming from this area. Dare you venture into Moira's furnace for a full night of ghost hunting?

Do you know Moira is a Spa Town!! During the working of the Moira pits a large quantity of salt water was met with, and when analysed by the celebrated Dr Ure, it was found to contain valuable medicinal properties. The water was first noticed about 1832, and was generally found below 300 feet from the surface. Baths were erected at the hotel close to the pits (The Bath Hotel) and for some years treatment was extended to sufferers from rheumatic and scorbutic complaints. Visitors travelled either by boat on the canal or by coach. When the Royal Hotel was built in Ashby, the salt water was conveyed there in tanks for use in similar cases, and the baths at Moira being less easy of access, gradually ceased to be used.

Continue to walk along the towpath until you come to the current end of the canal near Donnisthorpe.

Measham Pottery (52.72540; -1.52907)

Nearby Measham gave its name to a particular style of pottery bearing a homely motto. Usually brown, it was popular with working boaters. Working boatmen bringing narrowboats past Measham on the Ashby Canal in the would order a specially made teapot and collect it on their next run up the canal. They were often given as wedding presents and handed down through generations. Norkies - farm labourers from Suffolk and Norfolk, who, after the harvest was in, went to Burton on Trent to work in the maltings etc, also bought Measham Ware pots. They had the fare for the train home retained by the breweries and, when they got home, they liked to present Measham ware to their mothers or sweethearts.

9 / 12 Take the path to the right that leads back to the Ashby Wolds Heritage Trail. Follow the trail and cross over Church Road and turn left and take the right fork to continue along the route of the Ashby and Nuneaton Joint Railway.

Ashby and Nuneaton Joint Railway (52.72129; -1.53352)

In the period 1844/45, several rival rail scheme proposals surfaced to obtain rail entry into the Leicestershire coal districts. These included Rugby, Derby and Manchester through , and (at an estimated cost of £1.5 million).

In November 1845, the Midland Railway proposed an alternative scheme from the Trent Valley Line at Nuneaton through Market Bosworth to Ashby, to connect with its existing Leicester?Burton branch. The MR lodged a bill in Parliament, having two objectives:

To purchase the Ashby-de-la-Zouch canal. (The MR purchased this in 1846 for £110,000). To construct a railway alongside the canal from Ashby-Nuneaton to replace it.

The MR scheme became law on 16 July 1846, and all other schemes were thrown out. However both Midland Railway (MR) and London & North Western Railway (LNWR) lodged further bills with alternative proposals. The competition was fierce but eventually representatives of both the MR and LNWR met, and they agreed to build the line as a joint venture between them, to capitalise and fund it out of their joint resources. The ?Coalfields? title was abandoned, and the joint undertaking was called the Ashby & Nuneaton Joint Railway. They raised joint capital of £200,000.

Opening date (goods only): 18 August 1873. Opening date (passenger & goods): 1 September 1873. Closed for local passengers: 12 April 1931. Closed for all traffic: 4 October 1969. Track lifted: 1972.

10 / 12 Part of this route has been restored and is now called the Battlefield Line based around Shackerstone.

Carry on the trail and when you reach a bridge over the trail turn left up the path just after and to reach Coronation Lane to return to Oakthorpe and the Shoulder of Mutton. There is a short stretch of road without a pavement so care should be taken and walking should be in single file.

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