Maltby Main Colliery
Encyclopedia
Maltby, South Yorkshire
Maltby is a town and civil parish of 17,247 inhabitants in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, situated in a rural area about 7 miles east of Rotherham and 12 miles north-east of Sheffield...
, some 7 miles east of 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...
. It is presently (2008) the only colliery in production in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham
Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham
The Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham is a metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. It is named for its largest town, Rotherham, but also spans the outlying towns of Maltby, Rawmarsh, Swinton, Wath-upon-Dearne, as well as a suburban and rural element composed of hills, escarpments and...
.
History
The first shafts at Maltby Main Colliery were sunk in 1907 and the first coal produced four years later. Situated in a wooded area on Tickhill Road the colliery was some distance from the township of Maltby and in order to gain a workforce the colliery company commissioned the building of Maltby Model Village, an estate of 1000 houses. The colliery was opened by the Maltby Main Colliery Company, a subsidiary of the Sheepbridge Iron and Coal Company. Prior to nationalisation the owners were given as Amalgamated Denaby Collieries Ltd.The two shafts were deepened in the ten years from 1951 and this allowed horizontal access to the Barnsley seam. This also gave access to a new Swallow Wood seam. By 1969 the Barnsley seam was considered exhausted and production went over to Swallow Wood. In 1981 a major project commenced to mine the Parkgate seam. Costing £180,000,000 the first coal was brought to the surface just one year later.
The colliery was bought by RJB Mining, later renamed UK Coal
UK Coal
UK Coal plc is the largest coal mining business in the United Kingdom. The Company is based in Harworth, in Nottinghamshire. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a former constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
, in 1994. Silverwood Colliery
Silverwood Colliery
Silverwood Colliery was owned by Dalton Main Collieries Ltd., and was originally called Dalton Main. It was renamed after the local woodland where it was situated, between Thrybergh and Ravenfield, in Yorkshire, England, although it could easily have been called Gulling Wood.- History :Dalton Main...
, the adjacent mine, closed in 1992 but had good reserves which could be worked from Maltby. Uncertainties with contracts, notably with the electricity generators, production was stopped in 1997. The pit recommenced operations and coal was gained from both the Parkgate seam, which is estimated to be exhausted by 2014, and the Silkstone seam, which will extend the life of the pit beyond that date.
Ownership
Maltby Colliery was sold by UK Coal to transport firm Hargreaves Services plc. This sale was worth £21.5 million. Hundreds of jobs were saved, and the mine kept open.The colliery is served by the South Yorkshire Joint Railway
South Yorkshire Joint Railway
South Yorkshire Joint Railway was a committee formed in 1903, between the Great Central Railway , the Great Northern Railway , the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway , the Midland Railway and the North Eastern Railway to oversee the construction of a new railway in the Doncaster area of South...
, and Maltby railway station
Maltby railway station
Maltby railway station was located on the South Yorkshire Joint Railway on the eastern edge of Maltby, South Yorkshire.The station was opened in 1910, built by the Great Central Railway , who operated the passenger service over the SYJR between and jointly with the Great Northern Railway...
, built to serve the community, is adjacent, but unfortunately some distance from the township.