Fan House

The Unstone Coal & Coke Co Ltd sank two collieries in the village of that name during the late 1860s. Both had short lives and were closed in 1884.

An exploration of the mineral line that served these collieries, and others, yielded plenty of remains on the ground even after 125 years of abandonment. On the site of Unstone Main Colliery this is the building that housed the ventilating fan. The curving brickwork on the right side is typical of the installation for a Guibal fan and the one located here was 20ft in diameter and 6½ ft wide. Air would have been drawn from the workings via a tunnel conected to the opening in the far wall with the evasee chimney rising up on the left side of the building.

Photos of a surviving Guibal fan can be seen here.
Drawing of a Guibal Fan here.