Silverwood Colliery
Encyclopedia
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.
Dalton Main Collieries Limited became a public company which was floated on the London Stock Exchange in December 1899. The purpose of the company was to buy out the business of Roundwood Colliery, purchase land at Silverwood, between Thrybergh and Ravenfield, and sink a new deep colliery there. These installations were to be connected to a boat staithe on the River Don by a railway. The first shaft commenced sinking in 1900 and coal was being worked by 1904.
The railway, from Roundwood Colliery
, also owned by Dalton Main Collieries, became known as John Brown's Private Railway
after the company
which became sole owners of the Dalton Main Collieries from 1909. There was also a line which ran from Silverwood, round past Ravenfield
, and down to join the existing line just north of Anston
.
". It was normal practice for the ‘man-rider’ to be followed by a second train which carried equipment. On this day the second train suddenly ran out of control and gaining speed caught up with the ‘man-riding’ train hitting this hard in the rear. Ten men lost their lives and a further 29 miners were injured.
The accident featured in the local and national press, much of the coverage giving prominence to Sister Adsetts, a member of the Silverwood medical team who, working with members of the Rotherham Mines Rescue team, tended the injured as they were brought from the wreckage. The unusual feature of a woman coming out from the pit brought headlines like The Angel with the dirty face.
The accident happened some one and a half miles from the pit bottom in the Braithwell return roadway. The locomotives and the vehicles were removed to the underground workshops for testing, a full brake test being undertaken. The brakes proved to be in full working order.
In the report on the accident by the Mines Inspectorate the main point main was that a train carrying materials must not follow a man riding train. The rules on underground train operation were re-written.
. A large coal washing and reclamation project continued.
The area around Woodlaithes Farm, on the edge of the colliery tip, has since been developed as an up-market housing estate known as Woodlaithes Village which has its own “village pond”.
Reclamation work finished in 2006, with the Forestry Commission
planting tree saplings in 2007. The coal tip has been grassed completely and the once dangerous slurry lake turned into a freshwater nature reserve.
Dalton Main Collieries Ltd.
The Dalton Main Collieries Limited became a public company which appeared on the London Stock Exchange in December 1899. The company was set up by John Brown and Company with the aim of purchasing Roundwood Colliery at Parkgate and to purchase land between Thrybergh and Ravenfield, known as...
, and was originally called Dalton Main. It was renamed after the local woodland where it was situated, between 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...
and Ravenfield
Ravenfield
Ravenfield is a small village and civil parish in South Yorkshire, England. It is located in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, east of the town of Rotherham. The older part is a former farming village and over recent years has become a pretty rural community; it has been particularly...
, in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, 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...
, although it could easily have been called Gulling Wood.
History
The railway, from Roundwood Colliery
Roundwood Colliery
Roundwood Colliery was a coal mine situated in the Don Valley, about 2 miles north of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England on the borders of Rotherham and Rawmarsh.- History :...
, also owned by Dalton Main Collieries, became known as John Brown's Private Railway
John Brown's Private Railway
John Brown's railway was a line constructed in the Rotherham area of South Yorkshire, England, in order to link Silverwood Colliery to staithes situated alongside the River Don...
after the company
John Brown & Company
John Brown and Company of Clydebank was a pre-eminent Scottish marine engineering and shipbuilding firm, responsible for building many notable and world-famous ships, such as the , the , the , the , the , and the...
which became sole owners of the Dalton Main Collieries from 1909. There was also a line which ran from Silverwood, round past Ravenfield
Ravenfield
Ravenfield is a small village and civil parish in South Yorkshire, England. It is located in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, east of the town of Rotherham. The older part is a former farming village and over recent years has become a pretty rural community; it has been particularly...
, and down to join the existing line just north of Anston
Anston
The villages of North Anston and South Anston are the principal constituents of the civil parish of North and South Anston, in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England...
.
Paddy mail crash, 3 February 1966
Shortly after 8 a.m. on 3 February 1966, the 8 am shift men had gone down the pit to board the "Paddy mailPaddy mail
Paddy mails, generally considered as being workmen's trains, were operated by, or for many companies to transport their workers to their place of work or between their sites of work....
". It was normal practice for the ‘man-rider’ to be followed by a second train which carried equipment. On this day the second train suddenly ran out of control and gaining speed caught up with the ‘man-riding’ train hitting this hard in the rear. Ten men lost their lives and a further 29 miners were injured.
The accident featured in the local and national press, much of the coverage giving prominence to Sister Adsetts, a member of the Silverwood medical team who, working with members of the Rotherham Mines Rescue team, tended the injured as they were brought from the wreckage. The unusual feature of a woman coming out from the pit brought headlines like The Angel with the dirty face.
The accident happened some one and a half miles from the pit bottom in the Braithwell return roadway. The locomotives and the vehicles were removed to the underground workshops for testing, a full brake test being undertaken. The brakes proved to be in full working order.
In the report on the accident by the Mines Inspectorate the main point main was that a train carrying materials must not follow a man riding train. The rules on underground train operation were re-written.
Closure and redevelopment
The colliery closed in 1994 with remaining reserves being worked from nearby Maltby Main CollieryMaltby Main Colliery
Maltby Main Colliery is a coal mine situated on the eastern edge of the township of Maltby, South Yorkshire, some 7 miles east of Rotherham. It is presently the only colliery in production in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham.-History:...
. A large coal washing and reclamation project continued.
The area around Woodlaithes Farm, on the edge of the colliery tip, has since been developed as an up-market housing estate known as Woodlaithes Village which has its own “village pond”.
Reclamation work finished in 2006, with the Forestry Commission
Forestry Commission
The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in Great Britain. Its mission is to protect and expand Britain's forests and woodlands and increase their value to society and the environment....
planting tree saplings in 2007. The coal tip has been grassed completely and the once dangerous slurry lake turned into a freshwater nature reserve.
External links
- http://johndoxey.100freemb.com/Silverwood/index.htm
- Old ravenfield village historical pictures