Image ID: 15324

Pit Row - rear of houses

Pit Row
Shireoaks
England

A row of houses built by Duke of Newcastle for his mineworkers. It consists of 56 cottages and 2 shops. Building started in the late 1850's and by 1861 down as far as No. 40 was complete. The houses were originally 2 up 2 down plus most have an attic bedroom. The Row had no mains water until 1932 and therefore used a well to rear No 11 for drinking water. People also collected rainwater in large wooden tubs in the yard at back of house and therefore the Row was known locally as Tub Row. Originally there were open yards to the rear of the houses across which was a shared wash house and an earth closet. Behind this each miner had a pigsty and kept pigs fed with food waste to supplement their diet. The original shaft was sunk at Shireoaks around 1860 by the Duke of Newcastle who owned the mineral rights. The Duke sold Shireoaks to a new company, the 'Shireoaks Colliery Company' in about 1867. It was Nationalised circa 1947, and closed circa 1991. (Information extracted from the very interesting Shireoaks and District Local History Society web-site http://www.shireoakshistory.fsnet.co.uk/sitesofhistoricalinterest.htm)

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Keywordshousesterracedcollieryworkersminerscoalhomesbrickmullionwindowsrearyardsclosettoiletswasteground

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