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This short Mining Review item records the shaft sinking ceremony carried out on 25th January 1950 at Hem Heath Colliery in the West Midlands by Sir Ben Smith, the divisional chairman. The colliery had originally been opened in 1924, but following nationalisation of the coal industry in 1947 it was believed that the design of the pit and associated ventilation problems made it difficult to access all the coal beneath it. Accordingly, in 1950 work commenced on creating what was more or less an entirely new pit, though production in the old facilities continued throughout the two-year period of constructions. At 24 feet in diameter and 1,134 yards in depth, it would be the third deepest shaft in the entire country. The new facility, unveiled in 1952, was popularly known as "the big A" because of its distinctive shape. It continued operating for the next forty years, hitting the headlines in 1984 when it hosted some of the largest and most demonstrative pickets during the NUM miners' strike. The colliery finally closed in 1996, and the site now houses the Britannia Stadium and an industrial park. Michael Brooke
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Complete item (0:42)
