Salt Production In Stafford.

[The Hawk]

As one or two discussions on other threads are covering Astonfields, the Stafford to Uttoxeter railway and the Brine Baths, which all have a relationship with Stafford's salt production, I thought I'd put this in a thread of its own:

 

[Gramaisc]

There was a railway siding off into the Salt Works from the eastern end of the Stafford Common station* platforms, on Aston Terrace. If you dig your way though the undergrowth to the fence of Webb's plant hire yard, you should be able to see the remaining rails in their concrete yard. Last time I looked, the remains of this signal were still there, too.

You can (just) see a rail in that picture, too - just this side of the nearest yellow implement.


* The platforms are still there, but very overgrown now, although the edges are easy enough to see, as you proceed along the Isabel Trail.

 

[littleme]

So, if Staffords on some kind of Salt Marsh, how do all these plants grow? And did the village 'Salt' get its name because of salt?

 

[Gramaisc]

So, if Staffords on some kind of Salt Marsh, how do all these plants grow? And did the village 'Salt' get its name because of salt?

The salt is largely underground, as it is in Cheshire. There are areas, one notable one on the lower of the Astonfields balancing Lakes, where salt marsh plants do grow, but this is largely due to residual pollution from the adjacent works.

The extraction method was 'hydraulic', driving water down to dissolve the salt, then boiling off the water from the brine that came back up, to extract the salt content.

There was, in the late 70s, a plan to open a coal mine at Salt, but one of the potential problems that caused it to never happen was the chlorine contamination of the coal there.

 

[DoggedWalker]

The mention of the Common station… do remnants of this remain on the common? I’m sure I’ve walked past this and wondered about it. Interesting.

 

[Gramaisc]

The mention of the Common station… do remnants of this remain on the common? I’m sure I’ve walked past this and wondered about it. Interesting.

The platforms remain, overgrown, on the east side of Common Road bridge. The station "buildings" were actually up at the bridge height, with steps down onto the platforms.

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.co.uk

The platform edges can still be seen from the Isabel Trail.

 

[littleme]

The salt is largely underground, as it is in Cheshire. There are areas, one notable one on the lower of the Astonfields balancing Lakes, where salt marsh plants do grow, but this is largely due to residual pollution from the adjacent works.

The extraction method was 'hydraulic', driving water down to dissolve the salt, then boiling off the water from the brine that came back up, to extract the salt content.

There was, in the late 70s, a plan to open a coal mine at Salt, but one of the potential problems that caused it to never happen was the chlorine contamination of the coal there.

A coal mine in salt? Not a salt mine? Was the seam of the coal mine at salt in the direction of Stoke/ Hem Heath?

 

[Gramaisc]

A coal mine in salt? Not a salt mine? Was the seam of the coal mine at salt in the direction of Stoke/ Hem Heath?

It was a coal mine, to be called the Park Mine, possibly to make it sound a bit nicer.

It was going to be around here-

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.co.uk

I've no idea about the relative geology of the seams.

 

[Gramaisc]

So, if Staffords on some kind of Salt Marsh, how do all these plants grow?

There are areas, one notable one on the lower of the Astonfields balancing Lakes, where salt marsh plants do grow, but this is largely due to residual pollution from the adjacent works.

The obvious rectangle, to the north of the southern dam, was an area of "salt marsh plants" that was deemed to be left untouched by the large scale works that went on in 1990, to double the storm-water storage of the area, by building the upper dam to create a second lake. This was all done by about four blokes and their machinery over a period of a few weeks. No material was removed from or brought into the site, it was just moved around to open up the southern lake and create the northern one and its upstream dam.

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.co.uk

There is also, in the area between Peter James Court and the Shell garage, another 'amphitheatre' that has some capacity for water storage.

And, down stream, we have the transient appearances of Lake Sandon, too.

 

[Withnail]

One 'fact' i have about the salt works, that i genuinely don't know the truth in, is that when it was first established, Welsh coal miners were courted to move to Stafford to abandon the mines and work above ground in the salt works.

Finding the work here worse than the actual pits... , they abandoned ship and went back home to the comfort of the coal mines.

I have never even tried to find out whether this is true, for i am a strong believer in not letting the truth get in the way of a good story.

 

[Mudgie]

There was, in the late 70s, a plan to open a coal mine at Salt, but one of the potential problems that caused it to never happen was the chlorine contamination of the coal there.

I'm not certain but remember it planned for near the junction of Within Lane and the B5066 Sandon Road rather than in Salt.

 

[BobClay]

Wasn't there a coal mine proposed for Hopton some decades back, or is that the same one ? I read that the idea was abandoned due to poor quality coal, or that some attempt might be made to come at it from Cannock, also abandoned presumably.

 

[Gramaisc]

Wasn't there a coal mine proposed for Hopton some decades back, or is that the same one ? I read that the idea was abandoned due to poor quality coal, or that some attempt might be made to come at it from Cannock, also abandoned presumably.

That's the same one.

It was going to be between Within Lane and Salt Banks.

It was going to be around here-

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.co.uk

The internet is almost silent on it.

 

[BobClay]

WOW Salt has expanded a bit !!! We used to play in the derelict Salt Railway Station as kids after walking up through deep railway cuttings parallel to the Sandon Road, just past the Hopton turn off (where there was a railway bridge, now long gone.) You can still see the outlines of the cuttings on Google Earth.

 

[Gramaisc]

WOW Salt has expanded a bit !!! We used to play in the derelict Salt Railway Station as kids after walking up through deep railway cuttings parallel to the Sandon Road, just past the Hopton turn off (where there was a railway bridge, now long gone.) You can still see the outlines of the cuttings on Google Earth.

The cuttings were filled in and the embankments removed - the Hopton Lane bridge stood oddly alone for a long time, before it was demolished.

I think the bridge on Within Lane is actually still there, but filled in to the point of hardly being noticeable as a 'bridge' now - the parapets are still there, anyway.

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.co.uk

And the railway bridge over the Trent, after Salt, was also demolished.

I think the Bridge on the A518, which went over the railway before Weston, was also removed in the 90s.

 

[gilesjuk]

It always amuses me when some companies sell products with "sea salt" listed as if it is some exotic ingredient. The salt mined from the ground is sea salt too, from when those areas of the land were under the sea.

 

[Gramaisc]

It always amuses me when some companies sell products with "sea salt" listed as if it is some exotic ingredient. The salt mined from the ground is sea salt too, from when those areas of the land were under the sea.

Especially when you consider what our marvellous water companies are regularly pumping into the sea.

 

[BobClay]

It is possible to follow the old railway beyond Salt on Google Earth, most of the way toward Uttoxeter.. I remember a few years back going out as far as Loxley Tunnel on the other side of Chartley Castle. I took a few pix which I put on another thread somewhere. Apologise for the repetition, but I like this pix of the tunnel in its hay day, and my pix taken in 2014.

 

[Mudgie]

I think the bridge on Within Lane is actually still there, but filled in to the point of hardly being noticeable as a 'bridge' now - the parapets are still there, anyway.

And the cutting southwards, and possibly northwards, was filled in with being the Borough Council's refuse tip about forty years ago

 

[Mudgie]

It is possible to follow the old railway beyond Salt on Google Earth, most of the way toward Uttoxeter.. I remember a few years back going out as far as Loxley Tunnel on the other side of Chartley Castle. I took a few pix which I put on another thread somewhere. Apologise for the repetition, but I like this pix of the tunnel in its hay day, and my pix taken in 2014.

View attachment 13026

I hadn't realised it was single track, but not surprising for a minor line built later and closed earlier than most.