Last weekend I revisited the site of Paddy Lewis dam, with some friends in tow, in search of more remains of the engine house of the Lambton Colliery that was once there.
2 thoughts on “Paddy Lewis Revisited”
I am interested in that shaft since in description of Lambton (Durham) Colliery (in a book on Newcastle mines) there was mention of the bringing onto operation of a “great furnace” to ventilate the mine about 1 kilomere west of the mine. There was a celebratory lunch at the furnace before lighting attended by Croudace among other notables.
The walk to the furnace from the pit bottom was described. There must have been a very significant chimney above ground level to dispate the smoke from the fire below.
The Paddy Lewis shaft that I found is not this ventilating shaft – all the information I have on the Paddy Lewis site is that it was a winding shaft only, and also there is no evidence of any brickwork at the Paddy Lewis shaft site. The newspaper article refers to the ventilating shaft as being quite near the gates of Lambton Lodge, Thomas Croudace’s house. The 1893 map at http://nla.gov.au/nla.map-rm2864 has a shaft marked near Lambton Lodge that may be the ventilating shaft.
I am interested in that shaft since in description of Lambton (Durham) Colliery (in a book on Newcastle mines) there was mention of the bringing onto operation of a “great furnace” to ventilate the mine about 1 kilomere west of the mine. There was a celebratory lunch at the furnace before lighting attended by Croudace among other notables.
The walk to the furnace from the pit bottom was described. There must have been a very significant chimney above ground level to dispate the smoke from the fire below.
Any information would be most welcome.
The ventilating furnace and shaft you refer to is described in much detail in the 8 Jun 1871 newspaper article at http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/111142128
The Paddy Lewis shaft that I found is not this ventilating shaft – all the information I have on the Paddy Lewis site is that it was a winding shaft only, and also there is no evidence of any brickwork at the Paddy Lewis shaft site. The newspaper article refers to the ventilating shaft as being quite near the gates of Lambton Lodge, Thomas Croudace’s house. The 1893 map at http://nla.gov.au/nla.map-rm2864 has a shaft marked near Lambton Lodge that may be the ventilating shaft.