Colliery near Mosborough

[miamivice]

I am really interested in the history of mining in mosborough. I used to live quite close to where you mention, Swallows Colliery. As you say there isn't much evidence of any mining there except a MASSIVE slab of stone on the side where the depression is in the woodland. Theres still some evidence of the Moorside colliery where there is a MASSIVE spoil tip. Is there any evidence at all of any mine shafts/adits in Mosborough still?

[ken wain]

Taken from "Winding Up" A History of Birley East Colliery by A Rowles

Birley West.jpg

I can verify the quarry at the bottom of Linley lane adjacent to the Birley West Colliery on Alan Rowles Map.

It belonged to my wife's Grandfather; Robert Fleming. I don't know when it finished working but I have a photo of it in 1939, with Robert overseeing his men filling tubs.

Regards, Ken.

[ken wain]

Yes that's the one I'm searching for, thank you.

It's never been built on so is there a reason for this or is it not viable because

of mine shafts etc?

It seems to me that someone has made a mistake on the map which highlightes in blue what is labelled as Dent Main Colliery. This Colliery is in fact The Moorside Colliery opened in 1939 and owned by Hutchinson and Fox, it was sold to a Mr Waller in 1943 and granted an operating license in 1947 when the mines were nationalised. The mine was sold again in 1970 to Mr Neville Roberts and his son Mr Philip Roberts who's son Alan Joined "The Moorside Mining Company" in 1974.

The pit had two drifts driven into the moorside at 1in3, it had 25 men working underground taking coal from the Parkgate seam with a Siskol Coal cutting machine and produced between 250 and 300 tons per week, the Colliery workings passed through old workings from Swallows Pit. All the coal was sold to the Blackburn Meadows Power Station at Meadowhall in Sheffield. the last coal was brought out in 1992.-------------- The Dent Main Colliery was situated on the opposite side of the road where the garden centre is now, alongside the "Diamond Row" cottages on Birley Moor Road

[SteveHB]

It seems to me that someone has made a mistake on the map which highlightes in blue what is labelled as Dent Main Colliery. This Colliery is in fact The Moorside Colliery opened in 1939 and owned by Hutchinson and Fox, it was sold to a Mr Waller in 1943 and granted an operating license in 1947 when the mines were nationalised. The mine was sold again in 1970 to Mr Neville Roberts and his son Mr Philip Roberts who's son Alan Joined "The Moorside Mining Company" in 1974.

The pit had two drifts driven into the moorside at 1in3, it had 25 men working underground taking coal from the Parkgate seam with a Siskol Coal cutting machine and produced between 250 and 300 tons per week, the Colliery workings passed through old workings from Swallows Pit. All the coal was sold to the Blackburn Meadows Power Station at Meadowhall in Sheffield. the last coal was brought out in 1992.-------------- The Dent Main Colliery was situated on the opposite side of the road where the garden centre is now, alongside the "Diamond Row" cottages on Birley Moor Road

Thank you ken wain, and welcome to SH.

Link to Flash Earth

[ken wain]

I hope that I can help a little about the coal mines in the Mosborough district in the early 19th century.

In the 1820s, Mess'rs Sayles and Bibbs had a colliery at the top of Mosborough Moor."Moorhole colliery"

They sold the colliery to George Wells of Eckington in the early 1830s for £2,500.

George Wells died in 1835 and his sons George and Joseph took over the business and with the money that they had inherited they went on to sink another pit just below the Moorhole colliery and called it the "Moorhole Bottom Side Mine".

They built a bank of coke ovens on the site, and in 1840 they sold the coke ovens and the colliery to Richard and John Tell Swallow of Mosborough Hill House.

The colliery was then called "Swallow's Silkstone Colliery"..

The coke ovens were worked by two families of coke burners, The Harratts and the Bensons who lived on the site at Moorhole, which was a small hamlet by the side of the collieries.

It was on the 8th of September 1859 when the fire broke out in which the boys died, reported in the above topic of discussion.

I hope that this has been of interest to all.

I have researched these local collieries for nearly 40 years to help with a Book that I am currently writing.

Best regards .

KEN.

[miamivice]

As far as I know, moorhole shaft can still be seen, it's in the undergrowth behind the new houses. It's fenced off by coal authority. Does any evidence of the dent main drift still survive in any form? It's close to the reservoir by the looks of things.

[ken wain]

To the best of my knowledge ,the remains of Dent Main Colliery were built over by the present Garden Centre,

I have visited on several occasions and cannot find any visible evidence,

I was told by an ex employee that there was an air shaft very close to the reservoir.

Regards.

KEN.

[miamivice]

At the moorside mining site on mosborough moor there isnt any evidence except behind the houses is a pile of slag with some old concrete laid over the top. Do you know of any other evidence at the site?

[ken wain]

As a follow up to the post I did regarding the Moorhole Collieries, This is a map of the area that I have put together from some ancient maps in my possession. I hope that this will be of some help to those who have been researching the site.

Ken.

[vox]

Put me in mind of asking this - just because it is the same area.

This relatively flat field on the right used to be a deep hollow. The wall (leading away behind the traffic light) was at least 8ft high from the field level up to road level. It was filled in years ago, possibly when the tram tracks were put in at Birley Lane and the junction widened. Any ideas why ?

http://goo.gl/maps/zZZgx

[ken wain]

Hi Vox,

Sorry i can't give you an answer on this one,I can only think that it was probably to get rid of some of the colliery spoil

with the purpose returning the land to agricultural use, although it does not appear to have been used for that purpose!

Regards

KEN.

[vox]

I've been thinking about it on and off all day Ken and I think I may have an answer, at least something which would make sense.

The bottom of Birley Lane was originally narrow with high sides. When they widened the road, and put the tram tracks in, there must have been an enormous amount of earth to be got rid of. So perhaps they just put it in the convenient hollow right there on site.

http://goo.gl/maps/Q4DIa

[ken wain]

Could quite well be you've answered your own question Vox, but I would still like to know where the pit spoil ended up,

there was quite an amount to shift. Anyone any ideas?

KEN.

[miamivice]

I have a snit of an answer to the location of the shafts at swallows colliery. When you go over the spoil from the garage end, you come out the other side then as the trees die down there is a manhole in the undergrowth. Apparently underneath this is a vent pipe approx 15" diameter. The shaft is unfilled with just a cap around the manhole. My source is the coal authority. How deep is the shaft does anyone know?

[miamivice]

Bump!