PRINCE OF WALES COLLIERY SITE

ADDED 16 JANUARY 2007

I was born in the Pontefract Drill Hall, located across the railway line from Tanshelf. From the age of three years I lived at 41 Stuart Street, which is now called Stuart Road, until I was 18 years old. I lived there with my parents,  my six brothers and my sister.

When I read the article in the newspaper about the plans for the Prince of Wales Colliery site, it started me thinking about the possible name for the new housing development, and I thought it would be a good idea to call it ‘Tanshelf’.

The reason behind this name was that Tanshelf was the mining village for the Prince of Wales, and most of the men from Tanshelf worked at the colliery. I myself, along with four of my brothers, all worked at the pit.

When Tanshelf was demolished and Stuart Street became Stuart Road, the identity of Tanshelf was lost. If you talk to anyone who lived in or around Tanshelf, they would say that’s a shame.

Naming the new housing project Tanshelf, will enable the name to live on and not be forgotten.  Tanshelf was of course first mentioned in the Domesday Book, before Pontefract was so named.

David Sherburn

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