Huntington, Staffordshire
Encyclopedia
Huntington is a civil parish
and former mining village
in Staffordshire
, on the outskirts of Cannock Chase
. It lies on the A34 road just north of Cannock
and is surrounded by woodland. The village had an estimated population of 3,720 in 2004.
heritage that stretches back hundreds of years. The village sits on the Cannock Chase
coalfield, an extension of the South Staffordshire coalfield, that clusters around Cannock Chase
.
The main colliery in the village was Littleton. It was sunk in 1877 but the original sinkings were lost through flooding and new shafts were sunk between 1899 and 1902.
Despite its chequered start, the pit became one of the largest in the Midlands and the last colliery remaining on Cannock Chase. It was extensively modernised by the National Coal Board
and in 1982 employed 1,900 miners, mining nearly a million tonnes of coal.
However, after the controversial pit closure programme of the early 1990s, Littleton closed in 1994, overturning a reprieval a year earlier.
The pit has now been completely demolished and the former spoil tip has been redeveloped as an area for walkers known as Littleton Leisure Park.
store and a post office
.
The Littleton Arms used to be known as coggers. This is where the miners used to go for a drink after work.
Littleton Green Community School caters for children aged 3-11. It opened on the site of the former Littleton Colliery on November 9, 2009. It replaces Huntington Community Primary School.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
and former mining village
Pit village
A pit village is a term used in the UK for the village serving a deep coal mine.Many of the workers lived in houses that were provided by the colliery. Many villages have experienced depopulation after colliery closures forced people to move to other towns and cities where there are jobs for them...
in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, on the outskirts of Cannock Chase
Cannock Chase
Cannock Chase is a mixed area of countryside in the county of Staffordshire, England. The area has been designated as the Cannock Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Chase gives its name to the Cannock Chase local government district....
. It lies on the A34 road just north of Cannock
Cannock
Cannock is the most populous of three towns in the district of Cannock Chase in the central southern part of the county of Staffordshire in the West Midlands region of England....
and is surrounded by woodland. The village had an estimated population of 3,720 in 2004.
Coal mining
Huntington has a rich coal miningCoal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
heritage that stretches back hundreds of years. The village sits on the Cannock Chase
Cannock Chase
Cannock Chase is a mixed area of countryside in the county of Staffordshire, England. The area has been designated as the Cannock Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Chase gives its name to the Cannock Chase local government district....
coalfield, an extension of the South Staffordshire coalfield, that clusters around Cannock Chase
Cannock Chase
Cannock Chase is a mixed area of countryside in the county of Staffordshire, England. The area has been designated as the Cannock Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Chase gives its name to the Cannock Chase local government district....
.
The main colliery in the village was Littleton. It was sunk in 1877 but the original sinkings were lost through flooding and new shafts were sunk between 1899 and 1902.
Despite its chequered start, the pit became one of the largest in the Midlands and the last colliery remaining on Cannock Chase. It was extensively modernised by the National Coal Board
National Coal Board
The National Coal Board was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the mines on "vesting day", 1 January 1947...
and in 1982 employed 1,900 miners, mining nearly a million tonnes of coal.
However, after the controversial pit closure programme of the early 1990s, Littleton closed in 1994, overturning a reprieval a year earlier.
The pit has now been completely demolished and the former spoil tip has been redeveloped as an area for walkers known as Littleton Leisure Park.
Village amenities
Huntington has a number of facilities, including two pubs, The Littleton Arms and The Barns, as well as a SparSpar
In sailing, a spar is a pole of wood, metal or lightweight materials such as carbon fiber used on a sailing vessel. Spars of all types In sailing, a spar is a pole of wood, metal or lightweight materials such as carbon fiber used on a sailing vessel. Spars of all types In sailing, a spar is a...
store and a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
.
The Littleton Arms used to be known as coggers. This is where the miners used to go for a drink after work.
Littleton Green Community School caters for children aged 3-11. It opened on the site of the former Littleton Colliery on November 9, 2009. It replaces Huntington Community Primary School.