Tibshelf’s Industries
The Mines
This is the bridge on High Street which carried the main road over the Great Central Railway line from Sheffield to Nottingham. It effectively divided the village in two giving rise to the names Bottom End and Top End for the northern and southern ends of the village respectively. The residents are known as Top Enders and Bottom Enders. The building to the left is the old vicarage, with railway workers cottages to the right. The Parish Church of St. John The Baptist can be seen in the distance.
Tibshelf Bottom Pit was situated around the ponds at the end of the Five Pits Trail, and as formally known as Pts 1 & 2.
Another view looking towards the Church from over the bridge.The old Church Hall can clearly be seen peeping out just beyond the row of terraced houses. This was the centre of Village social life, providing a home for many village organisations, and hosting the Saturday Night dances, and the Church Youth Club. What no one realised was, that being all wood, it was an immense fire risk, but we survived.
Another view of Tibshelf Bottom Pit.
As the writing says, Tibshelf Colliery No. 2 (Bottom Pit) Rescue Team from 1932. Can anyone identify any of these gentlemen?
The Oil Well
Tibshelf’s main claim to fame is the location of the first mainland oilwell in England, as declared on the village signs. Production began in 1919 with 6 barrels a day. An overland pipeline was built from the oilwell over the fields to Pilsley Station to be loaded into railway tankers. In 1938, only 93 barrels were produced in that year, but the advent of the Second World War gave the well a stay of execution. The well finally ceased production in 1945, but it has been estimated that only 10% of the oil was ever extracted, so who knows, Tibshelf could become the new Texas yet!!!!!!!