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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Last of the Geordies" data-source="post: 369400" data-attributes="member: 65069"><p>Very interesting photographs. My Dad, Ian Campbell, used to be the staff and personnel manager there as late as around 1986 and I worked there in my Summer holidays when I came home from Leeds University. The coal had to be transported to Stoke Orchard by lorry from South Wales I was told. There were some very capable scientists there working on all sorts of projects. One of the goals was the dream of burning coal in a way which would be less harmful to the environment. Fluidised bed combustion of coal was the aim, and I think they succeeded in their tasks but  Margaret Thatcher did not support the miners, and indirectly, the scientific research being carried out by the National Coal Board. The site was very well managed as far as I can recall and the grounds were meticulously planted and maintained. There were a few tall chimneys and a big lagoon with reed beds to filter our contaminated water.They also had a few houses which were built to test out products made from coal. There was also a very striking librarian and her kind assistant who put up with me over several months. The NCB had other research stations including MRDE at Bretby in the East Midlands.</p></blockquote><p></p>

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