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Photos showing ‘creeper’ and ‘tippler’ attached. The photo of the ‘creeper’ was taken at Crofton Mill colliery that was in Blyth The ‘creeper’ was an endlessly circulating chain driven by a motor that conveyed tubs from one level to a higher level. In the photo the chain is in the middle of the tub rails and had steel hooks spaced throughout the chain that would hook onto the axle on the underside of the tub and raise the full tubs to the tipplers. The full tub would then be pushed into a tippler that emptied the coal out of the tub onto the screens. The ‘tippler’, as the word suggests, tips the coal out of the tub. The full tub would be placed in the tippler and by pulling on the handle, the tippler would rotate 360°. At the Doctor Pit, the empty tub then ran down to the ‘creeper’ that raised the tub to the cage level ready to be sent back underground.

With the greatest sadness it would seem that we've just entered the New Carolean Era. That doesn't seem to have the ring of being New Elizabethans - but, as always, we must work with what we've got!