Barnsley Main Colliery
Barnsley Main Colliery holds a significant place in the history of Barnsley. The coal mine, which operated for over a century, was a crucial part of the local economy and community. It is also connected to the site of the worst mining disaster in England, which claimed the lives of 383 victims. Today, the colliery offers an opportunity to explore its preserved structures and learn about the lives of miners who toiled underground.
Key info
Visiting guide
Open 24 / 7
Free entry
Free car parking
What can I expect when visiting Barnsley Main Colliery?
Your initial starting point will be contingent on your mode of transportation. We arrived by car, as there is no available parking at the colliery itself; hence, we parked at the Dearne Valley Car Park 1, accessible off the A628.
Walk up the A628 towards Barnsley and turn left onto Oaks Lane. Continue up the lane and you will observe the colliery on your left.
Peruse the information boards before continuing your exploration of the site. Proceed to the two bollards on the incline, which indicate the location of former shafts. The shaft to the right was named the ‘Cupola’, and it served to ventilate the old Oaks Colliery situated nearby.
Turn around to take in the view of the steel headstock, added in 1947 following the nationalisation of the coal mining industry. You may also notice steel girders in the shaft head house that were manufactured by the Cargo Fleet Iron Company in Middlesbrough.
Circumnavigate the old winding house, which housed the winding engine utilised to operate the lift into shaft number 2 beneath the steel headstock. The irregular brickwork signifies how the building was continuously developed from the late 19th century right through to the mid-20th century.
Can you spot the 1956 date stone in the winding house? This originates from the era when the colliery was modernised by the National Coal Board, including the extension of the winding house with an additional floor.
Proceed to the shaft head house where you will observe a bricked-up arch marking the main entrance to shaft number 2.
Turn around and follow the concrete path where you will encounter the remnants of a mineral railway that ran into the shaft head house. The railway divides and then runs in a loop. This area served as a loading area for raw materials, located adjacent to the Dearne & Dove Canal that ran along the perimeter of the colliery site. The mineral railway would have also run alongside the canal before connecting with the national rail network.
Continue along the loop for a view of the new garden cultivated by volunteers working tirelessly to develop the colliery site.
You are now free to explore further into the Dearne Valley, abundant with remains of its industrial past.op into the museums and do a round of shopping whilst you are here?
History of Barnsley Main Colliery
1830s – Deep mining commences in the area. Barnsley Main Colliery originates as the site of the ‘Cupola’ ventilation shaft for the Oaks Colliery to the south [1].
1866 – A series of methane explosions at Oaks Colliery results in the death of 361 miners and 27 rescuers, making it the most severe mining disaster in England to date.
1890s – Shaft number 2, which would later become part of Barnsley Main Colliery, is sunk.
1906 – Numerous buildings surrounding shaft number 2 are constructed, and the site now appears on the OS map as Barnsley Main Colliery.
1931 – Barnsley Main Colliery expands, absorbing Oaks Colliery.
1947 – Barnsley Main Colliery is nationalised, and ownership transfers to the National Coal Board, who install the steel headstock above shaft number 2.
1956 – The colliery undergoes further modernisation, including the construction of the upper floor of the engine house and the upper part of the shaft-head building.
1966 – Barnsley Main Colliery is closed.
1970s – Shaft number 2 is re-opened for man-riding (to transport miners) into tunnels connected to Barrow Colliery to the south, where coal is brought up to the surface.
1991 – Barnsley Main Colliery ceases operations for good.
2013 – The engine house and pithead structures are first designated as listed structures [2].
Trevithick Tunnel