| Description | Second World War air raid shelters, Frickley Colliery, South Elmsall (SE 4657 0994. Not specific).
An archaeological salvage record was made of the Second World War air raid shelters at Frickley Colliery by White, Young and Green Environmental on behalf of Renaissance South Yorkshire in June 2007 in order to produce a detailed photographic record of the shelter; its fixtures and fitting and graffiti, prior to the shelter's destruction. This was also to supplement an archaeological fabric survey undertaken by Oxford Archaeology North in 2003 (see PRN7867 for further information). The report by White, Young and Green, which includes plans and the photographic record is held by WYAAS. The text is summarised below:
The shelters are associated with Frickley Colliery which was established in 1903 and closed in 1993. The shelters survived the demolition of other colliery buildings. The air raid shelters were probably built to accommodated colliery surface workers in the event of an air attack. It was comprised of a series of connected tunnels in an area measuring 77m by 44m with a northwest/southeast alignment. It had three main longer tunnels with thirteen connecting shorter tunnels and side tunnels. The structure was of an arched type concrete construction, using reinforced concrete with brick aggregate which was formed around a timber frame within a slit trench.
Two pairs of entrance doors were observed on the western side of the complex. They appeared to be associated with an air lock procedure to stop gas from entering the tunnels. An in situ ladder situated in a side tunnel alcove served as an emergency exit. Two toilet seats with the remains of buckets were observed in other alcoves. A possible conveyor pan may have been present in the central long tunnel and a series of roof hooks and lamp brackets were observed in the southern side tunnels.
The complex first appeared on the OS 6' map of 1949 suggesting it was constructed during World War Two. No other documentary evidence was observed by the survey. Anecdotal evidence from on site construction workers suggests that the tunnels were not built as an air raid shelter, rather as a 'Bevin Boys' and Mine Rescue Team training facility. This theory is supported by the narrow nature of the tunnels, the lack off white wash, the lack of light fitting, the presence of a conveyor pan and the presence of dead end alcoves.
(Frickley Colliery by White, Young and Green Environmental. 2007. 'Frickley Colliery Archaeological Salvage Record').
The air raid shelter cannot be identified at the given position on current on line satellite mapping imagery and are assumed to be destroyed (http://maps.google.co.uk/. Web site accessed 03/05/2013). |