Staveley Works old footage - better than footy
#1
Posted 26 November 2015 - 11:04 PM
Went walking the other day for the first time in about 25 years along the canal to the hub(the one at Hollingwood)
Found some footage here of the old station and Staveley works in 1986 - looking back towards whittingon etc...
Still quite a vibe to this place, although long gone - of a murky industrial past of slag heaps and waste land at the bottom of New Whitt to Brim
https://www.youtube....h?v=5s0jhgUAuZs
#2
Posted 27 November 2015 - 07:19 AM
https://m.youtube.co...h?v=OGSKiF-0yAc
#3
Posted 27 November 2015 - 07:27 AM
They used to have car-boots there in the late 80s? Vaguely recall going on a Sunday monrning as a kid.
#4
Posted 27 November 2015 - 08:06 AM
Westbars Spireite, on 27 November 2015 - 07:27 AM, said:
They used to have car-boots there in the late 80s? Vaguely recall going on a Sunday monrning as a kid.
The opening of the sports ground was in 1952 and with my father working at Staveley Works I was told later that I was present at the opening in my push chair
The track round the football cricket and hockey pitches was a banked cycle track which attracted the top cyclists of the day
There was also a 220 yard straight running track which was the only one in the country at the time and top sprinter Mcdonald Bailey ran on the opening day
The cycle track was also a favourite haunt (not) of the Chesterfield players in the 1980s when John Duncan had them sprinting round it at regular intervals
I recall Ernie winning every one of his groups runs by several yards at a time
A certain town player who shall remain nameless lol knowing I lived local asked me to come at night with my mates to blow the bl**dy track up
Having tried it myself I can assure you it was a long way round
As youngsters we spent many hours playing football on what was known as Clarkes field on the opposite side of the New Whitt to Barrow Hill road always keeping a
lookout for the groundsman coming to clear us off happy days
This post has been edited by whittman: 27 November 2015 - 08:18 AM
#5
Posted 27 November 2015 - 10:14 AM
Westbars Spireite, on 27 November 2015 - 07:27 AM, said:
They used to have car-boots there in the late 80s? Vaguely recall going on a Sunday monrning as a kid.
Remember playing cricket there in 85. A Vauxhall Astra Turbo came careering down the road and overturned. we all ran to help!
#6
Posted 27 November 2015 - 10:24 AM
60s 70s Spireite, on 27 November 2015 - 07:19 AM, said:
https://m.youtube.co...h?v=OGSKiF-0yAc
Wow - magnificent sir. Chesterfield's great day - now its the opening of a Tesco or something similar. Makes me wonder(I wasn't around then) if things were better then. The large crowd - I would guess about 10,000 - not 60,000 suggests that we can still have "great days", like last season and promotion.
Apparently, now big business builds factories far away from communities such as Sheebridge and Markham Vale etc... where people do not necessarily see their place of work as part of their lives as was not the case in the 40s- 80s!
#7
Posted 27 November 2015 - 10:52 AM
Elton John 1866, on 27 November 2015 - 10:14 AM, said:
I was there that night playing a match on the opposite field! It was going ridiculously fast and actually left the ground by at least ten feet!
I remember playing a match under the floodlights, beautiful pitch too.
#8
Posted 27 November 2015 - 12:15 PM
Later i played for Handley Wood juniors and our end of season do was in the Works clubhouse at the top of the big banking.
This post has been edited by Bankrobber: 27 November 2015 - 12:15 PM
#9
Posted 27 November 2015 - 01:24 PM
Misnomer, on 27 November 2015 - 10:52 AM, said:
I remember playing a match under the floodlights, beautiful pitch too.
The floodlights were unique for a lowly non league ground in as much as they were 4 tall light towers in each corner instead of the conventional pylons down the side of the pitch
3 of the towers were brought from the old works stockyard and the 4th was made to the same specifications
to memory I think Wolves sent a strong team to open them in the mid 80s
#10
Posted 27 November 2015 - 06:54 PM
#11
Posted 27 November 2015 - 07:46 PM
CrossStreet62, on 27 November 2015 - 06:54 PM, said:
Is Dave Hewitt the name you are looking for?
#12
Posted 27 November 2015 - 07:52 PM
Elton John 1866, on 26 November 2015 - 11:04 PM, said:
Went walking the other day for the first time in about 25 years along the canal to the hub(the one at Hollingwood)
Found some footage here of the old station and Staveley works in 1986 - looking back towards whittingon etc...
Still quite a vibe to this place, although long gone - of a murky industrial past of slag heaps and waste land at the bottom of New Whitt to Brim
https://www.youtube....h?v=5s0jhgUAuZs
Served my apprenticeship at Stanton and Staveley works. Worked there for 6 years until the bitch told us to f*** off. Went to Ireland Colliery and she told us there to f*** off also. Not all bad though. She's now dead. Painlessly I know, but you can't have everything in life you want.
The Hollingwood hub is built onto the lock house. There used to be three massive pumps in there to supply the Foundry with cooling water from the canal. Stripped them down many times to remove blockages of tadpoles and fish. I worked on the boilers that supplied Hollingwood with all it's hot water, the gas engines that supplied gas and the generators that supplied its electricity. Hollingwood was total self sufficient and not actively connected to any national grids with the exception of cold water and sewerage.
SAVE A LIFE
#13
Posted 28 November 2015 - 10:35 AM
fishini, on 27 November 2015 - 07:52 PM, said:
The Hollingwood hub is built onto the lock house. There used to be three massive pumps in there to supply the Foundry with cooling water from the canal. Stripped them down many times to remove blockages of tadpoles and fish. I worked on the boilers that supplied Hollingwood with all it's hot water, the gas engines that supplied gas and the generators that supplied its electricity. Hollingwood was total self sufficient and not actively connected to any national grids with the exception of cold water and sewerage.
Interesting mate - more interesting than a Saunders interview even!
I remember 1983 - the works on the same side as the offices were all being demolished them. Presumably you were on the other side...
Interestingly - history now being on the doorstep, so to speak. I didn't realise there was another railway from Hollingwood, along the canal to Wheeldon Mill. Presumably that was the one at Staveley works. There's still a bridge, mostly covered in trees and slag. I was shot by an air rifle pellet there in 1984!! This area of wasteland still fascinates me - my wife says its the spirits of the past industrial age!!
#14
Posted 28 November 2015 - 10:39 AM
http://staveleyworks-regeneration.com/
#15
Posted 28 November 2015 - 11:26 AM
fishini, on 27 November 2015 - 07:52 PM, said:
The Hollingwood hub is built onto the lock house. There used to be three massive pumps in there to supply the Foundry with cooling water from the canal. Stripped them down many times to remove blockages of tadpoles and fish. I worked on the boilers that supplied Hollingwood with all it's hot water, the gas engines that supplied gas and the generators that supplied its electricity. Hollingwood was total self sufficient and not actively connected to any national grids with the exception of cold water and sewerage.
Hollingwood was the first village on England to have hot, running water and many of the pipes are still visible around the village even if the boiler site isn't!
This post has been edited by Sammy Spireite: 28 November 2015 - 11:26 AM
#16
Posted 28 November 2015 - 12:28 PM
Bankrobber, on 27 November 2015 - 12:15 PM, said:
Later i played for Handley Wood juniors and our end of season do was in the Works clubhouse at the top of the big banking.
Same here...I think I was with them '83 and '84 seasons....
Elton John 1866, on 28 November 2015 - 10:39 AM, said:
http://staveleyworks-regeneration.com/
That would be great for the area; it has been left to rot for at least 20 years....
#17
Posted 28 November 2015 - 12:50 PM
Sammy Spireite, on 28 November 2015 - 11:26 AM, said:
Not a lot of people know that. Well I didn't. Hope you weren't making stuff up again Sammy
#18
Posted 28 November 2015 - 01:51 PM
fishini, on 27 November 2015 - 07:52 PM, said:
The Hollingwood hub is built onto the lock house. There used to be three massive pumps in there to supply the Foundry with cooling water from the canal. Stripped them down many times to remove blockages of tadpoles and fish. I worked on the boilers that supplied Hollingwood with all it's hot water, the gas engines that supplied gas and the generators that supplied its electricity. Hollingwood was total self sufficient and not actively connected to any national grids with the exception of cold water and sewerage.
http://www.chesterfi...ingwood_old.jpg
That one?
#19
Posted 28 November 2015 - 07:29 PM
Elton John 1866, on 28 November 2015 - 10:35 AM, said:
I remember 1983 - the works on the same side as the offices were all being demolished them. Presumably you were on the other side...
Interestingly - history now being on the doorstep, so to speak. I didn't realise there was another railway from Hollingwood, along the canal to Wheeldon Mill. Presumably that was the one at Staveley works. There's still a bridge, mostly covered in trees and slag. I was shot by an air rifle pellet there in 1984!! This area of wasteland still fascinates me - my wife says its the spirits of the past industrial age!!
I worked on both sides. The side nearest the offices were the Metal Spun and Sand Spun plants where pipes were made. The largest one was the sand spun plant where pipes were spun in sand moulds vertically, the crane that serviced them was over 100ft high and was known as the high flier. The other plant was the metal spun plant where pipes were spun in metal moulds and horizontally. The buildings to the right of the offices were the medical centre, baths and canteen. In front of the offices you will see a ramp up to the main doors. This was where Charlie Markham parked his Rolls Royce. The ramp was so his car could be parked high to allow everybody to see it and allow it to be bump started if required. There were three loco's in the main yard all named after his daughters (can't remember the names though) There was a machine shop called the bomb shop after a German bomb hit it but falied to explode
SAVE A LIFE
#20
Posted 28 November 2015 - 07:37 PM
He took early retirement in 1981 just before the metal spun closed I think
This post has been edited by whittman: 28 November 2015 - 07:39 PM