Gallery - Diglake Colliery

Part of the Sentinel Supplement produced in February 1895.
The picture to the right shows Boyles Hall shaft, to the left a view of Diglake Colliery and the centre panel depicts the rescue party.
The portraits are of men associated with the Colliery.

Diglake Colliery around 1895. The railway line is to the left.

Men at work at Diglake, circa 1895?

Diglake or Audley Colliery, presumably shortly after the 1895 disaster.

Diglake or Audley Colliery, presumably shortly after the 1895 disaster.

A clearer, slightly different view of the above photo. Was this taken just after the flood? And who are the men in the picture?

This is a close-up view of part of the picture above. Coal waggons can clearly be seen running on rails, and there are piles of timber on the left presumably used as roof supports. Some of the miners are obviously young boys. There is no sign of the cage at the top of the shaft behind the men, presumably it is below ground.

This is a view of Bignall End, at the junction with Boon Hill, looking east along the Audley Rd. The smaller buildings on the left may be part of Audley Station. The two sets of pit headgear can be seen behind the houses, as well as 4 of the chimneys. This photo was taken from the old railway bridge.

A slightly different view of the scene above. Although the date is unknown, all visible remains of Diglake Pit are gone from behind the houses on the left. The road surface seems much smoother, other than this very little has changed.
Both this image and the one above were kindly supplied by Ernie.

A photo of Boyles Hall shaft, the shaft from which the majority of men escaped in January 1895. It was formerly a part of Boyles Hall Colliery which closed in the 1860s following a flood. Waggons can be seen to the right of the picture.

A close-up of the above photo of Boyles Hall shaft, showing three men standing by the cage which would have been used to lower men into the pit. There is also what could be a fourth figure to the rear of the man on the left, dressed partly in white.

A body is recovered from the pit in the 1930s. Could the elderly gentleman to the right of the photo be William (Bill) Sproston?

Another photo from 1933 showing one of the three recovered bodies being removed.
"In late August of 1932 in a new mine that formed part of the Jamage colliery, the skeleton of a minerworker was found. At the inquest that followed the Pathologist gave the opinion that the man was between 27 and 32 years of age and had probably drowned in the Diglake inrush. Between January and March of 1933 a further two skeletons were found. At the reconvened inquest the coroner was reluctant to give a name to any of the remains, as he thought it could result in a terrible mistake. In the above photograph a group of men can be seen with a coffin used to remove the remains of one of men who perished in the Diglake disaster." - text and above photo courtesy of North Staffs Coalfield.
Many of the same faces appear in both the 1933 photos, but in the second they are dressed in suits and ties, rather than workclothes.

Diglake Colliery in the 1960s. All buildings and other signs of activity are gone. Only the two capped shafts remain.
The raised embankment on the left of the picture could possibly be the railway line.