Topic summary
Cortonwood Colliery
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Cortonwood.
History
Cortonwood colliery was sunk in 1873, a year after the formation of the Brampton Colliery Company, which took its name from the local parish of Brampton Bierlow, near Rotherham. By March 1875, two shafts had been dug to a depth of 285 yards (261 m) to work the Barnsley Seam which was at a depth of 218 yards (199 m). The shafts were two of the deepest in the South Yorkshire Coalfield at that time. In 1908, the depths of the shafts were increased to 506 yards (463 m) to access the Parkgate Seam which was located at 481 yards (440 m) down. From 1927 onwards, the Swallow Wood and Silkstone Seams were being mined and the Parkgate and Barnsley Seams were worked out. During the 1970s, Cortonwood was producing only coking coal for steel plants. The Silkstone Seam which was first developed in 1927, was to become just a few years later, on 9 December 1932 the scene of a tragic explosion in which 4 men lost their lives immediately and 3 more died as a consequence of it later.