Aldwarke Main Colliery
Encyclopedia
Aldwarke Main Colliery was a coal mine sunk in the Don Valley
, near Rotherham
, South Yorkshire
, England
.
. To its west is Parkgate
, to its east the villages of Dalton
and Thrybergh
. The washlands of the river Don (known locally as "The Wash") was crossed by a toll road which was freed of toll in the late 1980s.
Coal gathering at Aldwarke goes back to the 17th century with documents relating to tenants rights of way over the grounds and the river Dunne (Don) at Aldwarke ford, on both sides of river; and to any person fetching coals from pits. Earlier records still refer to charkcole (charcoal) to be cut in Rounde woodde near Aldwarke Manor house.
, to the east the Mexborough to Sheffield line of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
and to its south the road, known as Aldwarke Lane, a toll road across the lands of the manor of Aldwarke linking Parkgate to Dalton, near Rotherham. The colliery was linked to both adjacent railway lines and to a staithe on the River Don Navigation.
The mine was sunk in three stages, the first shaft reached the productive Barnsley seam (bed) in 1867. It took a further 10 years, by deepening the same shaft to reach the Parkgate bed but it was not until 1884, with the sinking of a second shaft, that the Silkstone seam was reached. The colliery continued taking production from these seams until the Second World War when, between 1944 and 1946, the shafts were deepened to reach the Swallow Wood seam and give better access to the Parkgate seam.
Ownership was in the hands of Sheffield steelmakers John Brown and Co.
Ltd. and passed to the National Coal Board
on nationalisation in 1947.
Lower Don Valley
The Lower Don Valley, or historically the East End of Sheffield, is the mainly industrial north-east quarter of Sheffield, England. Based around the River Don it encompasses the areas of Attercliffe, Brightside, Darnall, Tinsley and Wincobank....
, near Rotherham
Rotherham
Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, at its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of...
, South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
History
The name "Aldwarke" refers to an area in the Don Valley about 2 miles north of Rotherham, South Yorkshire stretching to the outskirts of the village of KilnhurstKilnhurst
Kilnhurst is a village in South Yorkshire, England, on the banks of the River Don and the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation. It grew up around the coal mining, ceramics, glass, brick-making and locomotive industries; none of these industries remain in the village.-Residents:The sculptor...
. To its west is Parkgate
Parkgate, Rotherham
Parkgate is located in South Yorkshire, England. It has since been consumed by its neighbour Rawmarsh, from which it has been indistinguishable since the early 20th century...
, to its east the villages of Dalton
Dalton, South Yorkshire
Dalton is a civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 9,038....
and Thrybergh
Thrybergh
Thrybergh is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England, from Rotherham. It had a population of 4,327 in 2001...
. The washlands of the river Don (known locally as "The Wash") was crossed by a toll road which was freed of toll in the late 1980s.
Coal gathering at Aldwarke goes back to the 17th century with documents relating to tenants rights of way over the grounds and the river Dunne (Don) at Aldwarke ford, on both sides of river; and to any person fetching coals from pits. Earlier records still refer to charkcole (charcoal) to be cut in Rounde woodde near Aldwarke Manor house.
Deep mining
The colliery was sunk on a triangular section of land, to its west the main line of the Midland RailwayMidland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
, to the east the Mexborough to Sheffield line of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway was formed by amalgamation in 1847. The MS&LR changed its name to the Great Central Railway in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension.-Origin:...
and to its south the road, known as Aldwarke Lane, a toll road across the lands of the manor of Aldwarke linking Parkgate to Dalton, near Rotherham. The colliery was linked to both adjacent railway lines and to a staithe on the River Don Navigation.
The mine was sunk in three stages, the first shaft reached the productive Barnsley seam (bed) in 1867. It took a further 10 years, by deepening the same shaft to reach the Parkgate bed but it was not until 1884, with the sinking of a second shaft, that the Silkstone seam was reached. The colliery continued taking production from these seams until the Second World War when, between 1944 and 1946, the shafts were deepened to reach the Swallow Wood seam and give better access to the Parkgate seam.
Ownership was in the hands of Sheffield steelmakers John Brown and Co.
Firth Brown Steels
Firth Brown Steels was initially formed in 1902, when Sheffield steelmakers John Brown and Company exchanged shares and came to a working agreement with neighbouring company Thomas Firth & Sons...
Ltd. and passed to the National Coal Board
National Coal Board
The National Coal Board was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the mines on "vesting day", 1 January 1947...
on nationalisation in 1947.