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David Ellis: Collyweston Slater- Interview Soundbites and Transcribed Extracts
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The Apprenticeship

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Click here to listenWell on leaving school...it was a local craft...and I took up my apprenticeship at Collyweston and the firm I worked for was J.J Harrod- who did...the full range from the mines to putting slates on the roof. As an apprentice ...obviously- I think one of the first things I did was- because it was the middle of winter when I started- we went down the...slate mine and...this was obviously when the weather was bad and not fit to work on the roof- so possibly it was snow- in fact I remember it was snow- and ...the mine was about 40 feet deep along a 50 foot shaft, which used to branch out to face at either side, erm...and the er...the work progressed on one of the faces and when we was down there we used candles and paraffin lamps- because most of the lamps we could get down there were was paraffin lamps and we had iron tools.

Slate log in mineClick on the button to view Collyweston Log in the Mine

Click here to listenUnderneath a layer of slate was a bed of sand, and we used to prop the slate up and pick the sand out- propping the slate we went, and then when we got so far and the whole lot started to creak and break, the little stones what we we using for props they used to break in half with a loud crack and it was quite frightening this is what they termed as a fall, the sand was all thrown behind...this was letting the slate fall down ...there was a nice thick layer of limestone above the working area that we used to use term the ceiling I suppose, and this would be propped up with over burdens above the slate- some stone...that was not suitable for slate, in fact some of it used to look like slate but it wouldn't split and they term that bastard- that was just one of the terms down there- you know a widely know term. And er...so when we got this fall- this was terribly frightening for me as an apprentice because we perhaps got four or five feet and there was about twenty to twenty-five tonnes of material fell down in front of you- and there you were with candles- paraffin lamps and this would come down with a thundering crash and there was no where to go- and it was quite an experience.

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