Boothstown Mines Rescue Station
Encyclopedia
Boothstown Mines Rescue Station which served the collieries of the Lancashire and Cheshire Coal Owners on the Lancashire Coalfield
opened in November 1933 on a site in Boothstown
, close to the East Lancashire Road
. The building is Grade II listed and is the centre of a conservation area.
The station replaced rescue stations at Howe Bridge
, Denton, St Helens and Burnley.
The rescue station and its associated buildings were designed by Bradshaw, Gass and Hope of Bolton replacing Howe Bridge Mines Rescue Station
. A two-storey building which fronts onto Ellenbrook Road contained a garage, shower rooms, laboratory, oxygen and equipment storage areas and offices, A board room and aviary
for the station's canaries
were located on the first floor. At the rear, a single-storey section contained U-shaped training galleries representing underground workings. Observation halls overlooked the galleries so that training taking place in the galleries could be inspected. The galleries could be filled with smoke or heated to simulate the conditions that might be encountered in an emergency. A chimney exhausted the fumes and smoke after the training had concluded.
The permanent staff consisted of a superintendent, two instructors and two teams of six rescuers. They lived on site in a development of seven pairs of semi-detached houses and a superintendent's house with allotments, parking, and recreation areas. The site had underground air raid shelters.
Lancashire Coalfield
The Lancashire Coalfield in north-west England was one of the most important British coalfields.-Geography and geology:The geology of the coalfield consists of the coal seams of the Upper, Middle and Lower Coal Measures, layers of sandstones, shales and coal of varying thickness, which were laid...
opened in November 1933 on a site in Boothstown
Boothstown
Boothstown is a residential village straddling the City of Salford and Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. It is situated to the west of the City of Salford, bordered to the north by the East Lancashire Road A580 and to the south by the Bridgewater Canal...
, close to the East Lancashire Road
A580 road
The A580 is a primary A road in England that connects Walton, near Liverpool and Salford, near Manchester and known officially as Liverpool-East Lancashire Road. Locally, the road is shortened to the "East Lancs". The road was designed and built to provide better access to the Port of Liverpool for...
. The building is Grade II listed and is the centre of a conservation area.
The station replaced rescue stations at Howe Bridge
Howe Bridge Mines Rescue Station
Howe Bridge Mines Rescue Station was the first Mines rescue station on the Lancashire Coalfield openedin 1908 in Howe Bridge, Atherton, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England....
, Denton, St Helens and Burnley.
The rescue station and its associated buildings were designed by Bradshaw, Gass and Hope of Bolton replacing Howe Bridge Mines Rescue Station
Howe Bridge Mines Rescue Station
Howe Bridge Mines Rescue Station was the first Mines rescue station on the Lancashire Coalfield openedin 1908 in Howe Bridge, Atherton, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England....
. A two-storey building which fronts onto Ellenbrook Road contained a garage, shower rooms, laboratory, oxygen and equipment storage areas and offices, A board room and aviary
Aviary
An aviary is a large enclosure for confining birds. Unlike cages, aviaries allow birds a larger living space where they can fly; hence, aviaries are also sometimes known as flight cages...
for the station's canaries
Domestic Canary
The Domestic Canary, often simply known as the canary, is a domesticated form of the wild Canary, a small songbird in the finch family originating from the Macaronesian Islands ....
were located on the first floor. At the rear, a single-storey section contained U-shaped training galleries representing underground workings. Observation halls overlooked the galleries so that training taking place in the galleries could be inspected. The galleries could be filled with smoke or heated to simulate the conditions that might be encountered in an emergency. A chimney exhausted the fumes and smoke after the training had concluded.
The permanent staff consisted of a superintendent, two instructors and two teams of six rescuers. They lived on site in a development of seven pairs of semi-detached houses and a superintendent's house with allotments, parking, and recreation areas. The site had underground air raid shelters.