Coal mining and treacle extraction
The history of Pudsey’s Treacle mines and the now sadly forgotten coal mines go hand in hand.
Pudsey’s rich coal seam sits on the North West tip of the Yorkshire coalfield. Once an important resource it has been mined for generations and well into the 20th century. It can be found close to the surface even in the town centre, but was mainly extracted in the Fulneck valley by a series of pits that ran out through Tong and Drighlington and across into Holme Wood.
One unique feature of the Pudsey coal seam is the rare dark and sticky fluid that oozes out from underneath it. How this oozy fluid forms is not well understood, however the Townsfolk quickly discovered that it was sweet and delicious. “Treacle” was used back then to describe many things that were dark and oozy, not all of them pleasant! For want of a better word the name stuck (literally).
For many years the valuable coal was dug out and the treacle only used to glaze the hog roast at the Pudsey Feast. That was until Havercakes (large flat, frankly boring oat cakes) became a staple part of the local diet. Havercake bakers at Greenside discovered that adding Pudsey treacle to the mix cheered the cakes up no end and made them a delicious treat. Interest in mining and refining the treacle boomed, as the easier to reach coal deposits became exhausted so the treacle became economically the more viable option.
To preserve this important resource from outside exploitation, its workings and refining are kept a closely guarded secret by the Treacle Miners of Pudsey
Treacle Pits
Owing to the huge weight of the coal and rock pressing down on the treacle, when released it flows with tremendous pressure. To keep this pressure nice and even for pipeline extraction, there are several release valves, one can be found in Library Square, one at Bankhouse Lane and another in the lane outside Nesbit Hall.
Occasionally the treacle will well up to the surface and form a treacle pit, whilst these look attractive, they should be treated with caution because if you fall in its very difficult to pull you out (without a long plunger).
Where can I see a Treacle Miner?
Owing to their clandestine nature and secret identities, spotting a real live Treacle Miner <<above ground>> is notoriously difficult to do. Having said that they hate to miss out when there’s fun to be had and have been known to turn up at Pudsey Carnival. The largest single sighting of the Miners en masse in history occurred back in 1988 when Pudsey Carnival was revived :
The residents of Longfield Road prepared a float in the procession around the theme of treacle mines, but it was only later that it became aware that they had persuaded some of the secretive miners to take part. In a letter to the Pudsey Times on the 26th May, 1988, the Pudsey Treacle Miners told at their delight in contributing:
Sir,
We are writing to say what a marvellous time we had on Saturday at the Carnival.
We hope no-one recognised us, we tried to disguise ourselves thoroughly – nobody must ever know our identity! We had to shut down the mine for the day, but we will soon make up for the lost productivity. Our float was a great success and we would like to thank all who helped us, namely Rush and Tomkins, YEB, Coal Board, Tate and Lyle, and Valplas Plastics.
We couldn’t thank them personally because of the risk involved!
Hope next year’s Carnival is just as wonderful.
Yours,
The Pudsey Treacle Miners
Anyway those are the facts, owing to the highly secretive nature of Treacle Mining the following is rumour and conjecture:
- A common hazard working down the mines was getting stuck in the deep unrefined treacle. Miners had bald heads to allow their wives using long poles with rubber suction cups to quickly retrieve their men from the mine by plunging the poles down onto the back of their heads and yanking them out of the ooze.
- In Medieval times, Pudsey paid part of its tithes and land rents to the Abbots of Kirkstall Abbey with “A Hogshead (equivalent sixty-three wine gallons or fifty-two-and-a-half ale gallons) once every feast day of St Bartholomew”. The left overs went into what is believed to have become the Pudsey Feast. The Knights Templar are rumoured to have owned several “prime & productive mynes in Pydsey”.
- It is suspected that the Parliamentarian army that occupied Pudsey during the Civil War in 1643, did so to deny this important resource to the Royalists and the King.
- During the building of the Parish church in 1821, contractors Messr Hainsworth & Co. whilst digging foundations to a depth of 12 feet uncovered a seam of coal. This needed to be removed for the building work, unfortunately as with most coal seams in the Borough, directly underneath was the rich treacle seam and its mine working. To preserve the treacle the work gang quickly completed the foundations of the church tower, hiding the precious secret underneath tons of Bramley gritstone.
- The Greenside tunnel, open from 1899 onwards helped with a new access route into the mines, and allowed wider exportation of the treacle. It did though cause the Lancashire Boggart infestations that nearly shut the mine; bad tempered anti social creatures fond of slobbing out in the treacle and tainting it. It wasn’t until they were humanely trapped and replaced with native Yorkshire Boggarts (cleaner more sociable creatures), that full mining could resume.
- After digging for so many years the Miners managed to tap the treacle spring at source – this meant they could put in a proper pipeline from the well spring, a clever bit of engineering allowing a constant flow of treacle under pressure. Its remotely monitored these days and Miners only go down into the mine when there is a blockage (usually a nosey young Boggart).
- Rumoured location: Because the current tunnel network is deep under the town it’s best to stand on the corner of Station Street and Carlisle Road and imagine long dark tunnels 400 feet straight down stretching off in a north-west / south east direction.
With thanks to Tate & Lyle, Pudsey in Bloom, Pudsey & District Civic Society, Pudsey Treacle Miners Re-enactment Society, The Treacle Mines visitors centre at the Royal Hotel, and last but not least the Miners (you know who you are!).
