£3m Grant to Protect Old Colliery

From The Sentinel - 30 March 2007:

Around £3 million is to be spent on safeguarding some of Chatterley Whitfield's most iconic buildings.English Heritage announced the significant grant today which will tackle structural problems facing a number of buildings on the site.

The cash will be spent on preserving the former colliery's massive winding gear, which was used to raise coal from the shaft sunk in 1915. Exposed to the elements for nearly 100 years, the metal framework of the winding gear has been weakened by rust.

The grant will also help to secure the art deco Pit Head Baths where up to 1,000 men at a time, coming off one shift, could shower. The historic 27 acre site is a scheduled ancient monument.

English Heritage's chairman, Sir Neil Cossons, said: "Since 1999, the Chatterley Whitfield Partnership has been striving to turn this redundant site into a source of regeneration and employment."

The work on the pit is expected to be complete by 2009.

Chatterley Whitfield opened in 1872 and closed in 1976.