Institute
440 yards to the decking level, capacity of the cage - four 10cwt tubs, these tubs being pushed into the cage by hand both on the surface and underground.
Shaft capacity per eleven shifts, approximately ten thousand tons.
Diameter of shaft sixteen feet.
During the summer of 1922 a new steel headgear supplied by Robert Heath & Low Moor was erected at the Middle Pit, replacing the old wooden one. This was the last surviving wooden headgear at Whitfield.
EMERGENCY SHAFT FOR MUSEUM
By the mid 1860s there were four shafts on the lands of the Whitfield Estate. Following the purchase of the site by the Chatterley Coal and Iron Company in circa 1872, three of these shafts were deepened in order to strike lower coal seams. One of these shafts was the Old Bellringer shaft, which was renamed the Institute in 1874. A number of early and mid 20th century structures associated with this shaft remain standing and are situated in the south eastern part of the site. These include an engine house, built during the 1950s-60s, and the steel headgear, erected in 1922. To the north of the shaft, the fan drift and fan house remain standing. This building, also constructed during the 1950s-60s, houses an intact electricity driven ventilation fan. The brick-built engine house, built to replace the original winding house, retains its electrical winding engine. The buried remains of earlier structures associated with the Institute shaft, including the original winding house, are thought to survive beneath the ground surface. Scheduled.
Audit April 1969 :
INSTITUTE - DEPTH 430 YARDS
Function as a Up Cast 16 feet in diameter, brick lining with rope guides.
Type of Headgear : Steel Lattice
Number of winders : 1
Type of Winder : Electric Drum
Horse Power : 270
Winding Depth : 420 yards
Date of Installation : 1966
System of Winding : One Cage
Cars per Deck : One