Astley Green Mining Museum, Higher Green, Tyldesley, Greater Manchester
This building at the Astley Green Mining Museum was originally a pit-head winding house. The colliery at Astley Green was begun in 1908 by the Pilkington Colliery Company and opened for extraction of coal in 1912. In 1928 the colliery was amalgamated with a number of local pits to form part of the consortium called Manchester Collieries. In 1947 the coal industry was nationalised and this led to considerable modernisation of the mine. After 23 years of operation under the National Coal Board the mine was closed in 1970. The winding engine housed here served this shaft and was one of the largest steam winding engines in Britain. It was made by Yates and Thom of Blackburn. It has four cylinders in twin tandem compound arrangement developing 3300 horsepower at 58 rpm. The engine was installed in 1912 and took two years to complete.
