Wheldale Homepage


Dist:0.1km north<br/>View of the approach to Skew Bridge on Wheldon Road
©Darren Haddock
Dist:0.3km north<br/>Between Fryston, the river Aire and the Castleford-York railway line is a narrow strip of grassland underlain by magnesian limestone and displaying the humps and hollows of past quarrying, where characteristic flowers such as cowslips, spotted orchids, scabious and harebells can be found depending on the season. The Domesday Book called this area 'Queldale' and says there was a church here, but no trace remains either on the ground or in later documents. The track passing between the telegraph poles is the course of a mineral railway between Fryston and Wheldale collieries, which closed in 1986 and 1988 respectively.
©David Pickersgill
Dist:0.3km north<br/>
©Jayne Claughton
Dist:0.3km north<br/>Looking east from the top of the spoil heap left by Wheldale Colliery, which closed in 1988.
©David Pickersgill
Dist:0.3km north<br/>A man wheels his bike from Fryston towards Castleford, approaching the site of Wheldale Colliery washing plant and, beyond, the disused Hickson & Welch chemical works. At the time this picture was taken, a major landscaping scheme had just been announced for area to the south of the river Aire, to include some industry and housing but mainly recreational, including a marina at the old Wheldale Colliery basin.
©David Pickersgill
Dist:0.4km north<br/>Left of centre Wheldale Colliery and far left of shot the Hickson & Welsh chemical plant. Shot taken in 1989.
©bernard bradley
Dist:0.4km north<br/>Why pay council prices for shifting your rubbish when a fella in a pick-up will take it for half the cost and won't even trouble you with a receipt? Former Wheldale Colliery basin in the background.
©David Pickersgill
Dist:0.4km north<br/>Part of the Wheldale-Fryston reclamation and landscaping project, on the south bank of the River Aire. If the fly-tippers and all-year-round caravan club (often one and the same) can be kept out, it should be a tremendous asset to the area.
©David Pickersgill
Dist:0.4km north<br/>Landscaping work taking place on the site of the Wheldale Colliery washing plant, with the disused Hickson & Welch chemical works in the distance.
©David Pickersgill
Dist:0.4km north<br/>It is hoped to turn the former Wheldale Colliery loading basin into a marina as part of a major reclamation and landscaping project taking place during 2008–09. Note new grass and trees on the spoil heap in the right middle distance.
©David Pickersgill
Dist:0.4km north<br/>This is a shot of Wheldale Basin - the point on the River Aire where the barges were loaded with coal from Wheldale Colliery. The shot was taken from the west end of the basin and the entry onto the River Aire is left on the shot middle distance.
©bernard bradley
Dist:0.4km north<br/>Located on the site of Wheldale Colliery. This plant Captures Methane gas from the old mine workings and converts it to electricity. http://www.alkane.co.uk/minegas.php
©Jayne Claughton
Dist:0.5km north<br/>I cannot remember the exact date. I believe the colliery had only just closed. On another shot taken around the same time the ropes have already been removed
©derek dye
Dist:0.6km west<br/>Wheldale Colliery was the first pit to open in Castleford and the last to close, (not including Allerton Bywater just north of the town boundary). It apparently got its nickname "the sunshine pit" because if the sun shone the men went home. I worked there between 1974 to 1978 and had several of these "sunshine breaks" during that time. I can't remember when photo taken so date just a guess.
©derek dye
Dist:0.6km south<br/>An estate of prefabricated houses built around 1970, overlooking Wheldale Colliery, it began going downhill within a decade when the sons of the miners started moving direct from school to the dole queue. Beset by the consequent social problems, by the late 1980s no-one wanted to live there and it was demolished in the early 1990s.
©David Pickersgill

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