Alfreton Colliery pit lads riding ponies

Pit ponies were a valuable part of Colliery life, particularly for the miners that worked with them regularly. Ponies were often taken above ground for rest and racing and this photograph was probably taken for such an ocassion.

Alfreton Colliery was first sunk in 1885 by the Blackwell Colliery Company close to the railroad station in the town. It was a large site and included its own brickworks. It closed in 1968, after trialling a new form of mine known as a drift mine, which focused on the surface workings rather than underground.