The maps below from 1903, shows the land prior to Thurcroft Colliery being established.
New Orchard Farm can be seen left of centre, a faint pencil marks outlines where the Colliery intends to be.
There are no signs of the village just the odd farm and small holdings, someone has penciled in where the Colliery village will go.
Same map as above but expanded over colliery site
The names of the family's below are the earliest ones we have of being employed by the Colliery Owners, this is part of the 1911 Thurcroft census.
with thanks to Rotherham Web
The map below was made in 1928 and it shows Thurcroft Main Colliery well established. the brick works where moved to the land in the bottom left hand corner of the (map).The brickworks have now gone and a housing estate has taken its place. There are no signs of the Pit Head Baths on the map, these we not built until 1938, what stands out are the tennis grounds to the left of the main pit yard that was for use of the people who lived in the villa houses, [bottom left].
The map below shows Thurcroft pit and village that has progressed up to the late 40s.The Pit Head Baths have been built [ 1938 ].The cricket ground can be clearly seen in what appears to be the position that today's Football Field occupies. We know that house bricks were carried by rail from the brickworks at the pit to Katherine Street and we think it went down just to the right of the area that is marked as the cricket ground to the bottom of Alott Gdns and up Katherine Street.
Photo below shows a view of the Pit Head Baths and Canteen, just after being opened in the 1940s.
The photo below shows Katherine Street / Road, Whit Sunday some time in the 1920s, all the children are in there
Whit Sunday Best, the rubble in the foreground is from where the Railway line was ripped up.
PHOTO BY KIND PERMISSION OF rotherhamweb.co.uk
Below are some old pit checks from the time when the Rothervale Coal Company owned the Mine,
[ note the R.V.Co ] on the back of the checks, The [T M] denotes Thurcroft Main. The letter [ u ] denotes underground
[ note the R.V.Co ] on the back of the checks, The [T M] denotes Thurcroft Main. The letter [ u ] denotes underground
Below is part of the first page of the setting on Ledger for workmen who worked on the Surface at Thurcroft, the Ledgers first signing is on 15 / 2 / 1915. and runs to 1957.The first entry appears to be a Mr Alfred Feek, who was employed as a Winding Engineman, and lived at 11, Green Arbour Rd Thurcroft. Please have a look at the letter from Alan & Maxine Galinski, in the Ephemera section.
Below is part of the first page of the Setting on Ledger for workmen who worked Underground at Thurcroft, the Ledger runs from 11 / 3 / 1914 to 1921.The first entry appears to be Joseph Bradbury, Contractor who lived Wadsworth Rd Bramley.
Below again is part of the first page from a Ledger that workmen signed to agree that moneys could be taken from wages for tools etc, Mr, Feek is the first signing.The first date in the ledger is 15 / 2 / 1915
The two letters and the recipe below was very kindly sent in by Mr Peter Sargisen, the two letters show
The first coal to be sent from Thurcroft Colliery in 1913.
The first coal to be sent from Thurcroft Colliery in 1913.
Two Photo's below show Thurcroft mines Rescue Team from what looks like the 1920s / 1930s.the first one looks like the 1920s and the second could be from the 20s or 30s. The photo looks like it was taken at Doncaster or Rotherham's Mine Rescue H.Q. [ Note the Daimler wagon in the archway with driver].
Photos by kind permission of Royce [Sec, Miners Welfare Club.]
The Death was recorded of Mr Thomas Patching (53) of "Moorville" Morthern Road Wickersley, on 21st May 1933.
It was reported that Mr Patching was an underground Contractor at Thurcroft Colliery for almost 25 years, and assisted in the Shaft Sinking Operations. This makes Mr Patching one of the first workmen at Thurcroft Colliery. Mr Patching born approx 1880, signed on the books at Thurcroft on the 12th March 1914, aged (34) as a Dayman and was living in Bramley at that time, it is most likely that Mr Patching continued his work at Thurcroft from Sinking the Shafts to underground work until his untimely death at the age of 53. Mourners from the pit included Messrs B, Soar. E, Wild. J, Robinson. (underground) J, Grainger. (surface) represented the Thurcroft Main Colliery Officials, and nearly all the men who worked with Mr Patching paid there last mark of respect,and the following were bearers, Messrs R, Gillard. P, Ferguson. A, Booth. T, Walsh. J, Roach. and M, Maloney. Many floral tributes included those from the Thurcroft Colliery Institute, the Underground Officials and his Workmen.
I would like to thank (J31) for the bassis of the above report.
It was reported that Mr Patching was an underground Contractor at Thurcroft Colliery for almost 25 years, and assisted in the Shaft Sinking Operations. This makes Mr Patching one of the first workmen at Thurcroft Colliery. Mr Patching born approx 1880, signed on the books at Thurcroft on the 12th March 1914, aged (34) as a Dayman and was living in Bramley at that time, it is most likely that Mr Patching continued his work at Thurcroft from Sinking the Shafts to underground work until his untimely death at the age of 53. Mourners from the pit included Messrs B, Soar. E, Wild. J, Robinson. (underground) J, Grainger. (surface) represented the Thurcroft Main Colliery Officials, and nearly all the men who worked with Mr Patching paid there last mark of respect,and the following were bearers, Messrs R, Gillard. P, Ferguson. A, Booth. T, Walsh. J, Roach. and M, Maloney. Many floral tributes included those from the Thurcroft Colliery Institute, the Underground Officials and his Workmen.
I would like to thank (J31) for the bassis of the above report.
Two early photo's below of the pit taken [i think] sometime in the 1920s first a view from the area that is now taken up by Greens cake mix factory,the large wall in the foreground is the pit lane.Second photo is in the pit yard and still looks very rural taken some where near the Managers office block.
Thanks to Peter Thompson for the photo's.
Below is a photo sent in by Mrs Pat Truswell,it shows her Grandfather Mr William Truswell, next to the end of the row on the right. It shows part of the Soup Kitchen during the great Strike. Set up by the miners from the bottom club to feed the mining families. In front of the men are newly bought Dustbins filled with food to make Stew donated by Shops and Parishioners. It can be seen that the bins are stood on railway line supported by bricks and fires made underneath to cook the stew. We believe the photo was taken at the side of the old Bottom Club where the Car Park is.
The photo below was very kindly sent in by Harry Lockyer, it shows Miners in the 1926 Miners Strike / General Strike, Coal picking on Thurcroft Pit Tip
The two photo's below were very kindly sent in by Mr and Mrs Alan Tomlinson, first one is of the Soup kitchen during the Miners strike of 1926. as can be seen at the bottom of the photo. we don't know were the photo was taken, quite a few of the people on the photo would have been early Thurcroft residents.
Second photo shows Mr Albert Tomlinson (on the right) who was Lamp Room Attendant in 1928, stood out side the then LampRoom.
The three Photo's below are from around the early 1920s,First is a view of the mine from New Orchard Farm area, note the cows in the foreground and the reservoir or is it the Tennis courts, just sticking out on the right hand side. photo by kind permission of rotherhamweb.co.uk
The two photo's below show scenes of Thurcroft in the early 1920, the first is a postcard, note the Colliery in the centre, and top left photo of Katherine Street, the waste ground to the left of this photo where the bushes are is where The Thurcroft Miners Welfare would be built. The second photo is the Thurcroft Miners Welfare hall that was built in 1925, the hall was used for Council meetings [that had previous been held in Picture House] for Dances, and other social functions.
Information below from Rotherham Web.