Pit Wheel - Knutton, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, UK.
N 53° 01.877 W 002° 16.382
30U E 548751 N 5875997
The Pit Wheel, erected as a memorial dedicated to the coal miners of Staffordshire, is located in the Apedale Community Country Park in Knutton.
Waymark Code: WM133BM
Location: West Midlands, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 09/07/2020
Views: 2
The Pit Wheel is located in the Apedale Community Country Park in Knutton.
The pit wheel was erected in 2004 as a memorial dedicated to mine workers in Staffordshire.
"The wheel itself originated at Annesley Colliery in Nottinghamshire. It took 3 lorries and assistance from the Territorial Army to transport its 30 foot by 19 foot 7 tonnes to Apedale.
Keith Meeson, an ex-miner, can be thanked - he was one of the people responsible for setting up Apedale Heritage Centre and paid what sounds like a bargain £100 for the wheel.
It was a bit more expensive to get the wheel here; a £15,000 Countryside Agency grant helped fund its restoration and placement."
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Annesley Colliery in Nottinghamshire closed in January 2000. (
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A coal tub situated in front of the pit wheel has two plaques mounted on the side.
Plaque one is inscribed as follows;
'THIS PIT WHEEL
COMMEMORATES
THOSE OF ALL AGES WHO
DEDICATED THEIR LIVES
TO COAL MINING
IN
STAFFORDSHIRE'The second plaque lists those who supported the project, and is inscribed as follows;
'THANKS ARE DUE TO
ADVANTAGE WEST MIDLANDS,
APEDALE HERITAGE CENTRE,
BENTLEY & POINTON, CORUS,
COUNTRYSIDE AGENCY, CROWN TRADE PAINTS,
JOHNSON WALSH, KEITH MEESON,
MIDLANDS MINING,
NEWCASTLE COUNTRYSIDE PROJECT,
PJ ENGINEERING,
STAFFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
AND THE TERRITORIAL ARMY
FOR SUPPORTING THIS PROJECT'The Apedale Community Country Park has 184 hectares of open space to explore with a varied landscape of woodland, meadows and pools crossed by many paths and tracks. The land at this location was previously an opencast mine until 1998.
The memorial is located at the highest point and overlooking the park where there are magnificent 360 degree views.
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