[tarboat]

This is the site close to the mill that Rooster visited recently.

Schofield Hall Colliery was served by a drift or 'Breast-Eye' as they are known locally. here are also a number of shafts in the nearby woods. It was operating before 1850 and in 1853 was owned by James Fielding and John Whittle. The 1851 OS map shows the coke ovens and a tramroad running from the drift.



H & L Newall were owners in 1861 and it is likely that the ovens went out of use by 1870. Jame4s Howard ran a very small operation here in the 1890s but by 1908 the colliery is listed as discontinued.

There are remains of four beehive coke ovens on the site. As is usual with similar ovens in the area the stone facings have been robbed, leaving the backs of the ovens to slowly deteriorate.

There was even a piece of the product lying nearby.



Nearby are the remains of Rakewood Lower Mill. This is not the one visited by Rooster, that was the Rakewood Mill, a bit to the left, which was originally a fulling mill.

[n10694]

Excellent.

Looks like we are having a smelt & kiln fest !

[tom83]

Nice little find. Good report

[andym]

Now this looks more like coke ovens. Is the mill in the last picture being demolished? There doens't look like there's much left, but that digger in the pic looks more like one that'd dig a hole.

[tarboat]

Originally Posted by andym

Now this looks more like coke ovens. Is the mill in the last picture being demolished? There doesn't look like there's much left, but that digger in the pic looks more like one that'd dig a hole.

The digger is in the garden of the adjacent house where there they have been undertaking a major landscaping project. The mill doesn't look very well at all. I think it's just falling to bits.

[Morrisey]

Oh come off it. These photos are clearly of an abandoned mill!

Nice work Mr T.

[andym]

Originally Posted by tarboat

The digger is in the garden of the adjacent house where there they have been undertaking a major landscaping project. The mill doesn't look very well at all. I think it's just falling to bits.

Hells teeth, that's some major landscaping if they needed one of them I used a Mk. 1 spade to do my garden

Does the mill look worth doing if in the area? If there's a couple in the vicinity it might be worth a mooch if passing through.

[tarboat]

Originally Posted by andym

Does the mill look worth doing if in the area? If there's a couple in the vicinity it might be worth a mooch if passing through.

The two Rakewood Mills look utterly knackered. There is another one further up the valley that is in much better condition. This was a woollen mill and has been out of use for a long time.