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Coal in Barnsley Area

It is almost impossible, even by night, to approach the town of Barnsley without seeing the inclined ramp of a surface drift mine or the pulley wheels of one of the larger deep collieries. For this is unmistakably coal country, and it comes as no surprise to learn that Barnsley gave its name to one of Yorkshire's richest coal seams, and is a birthplace of mining machines and methods — and outstanding mining men.

Built on coal, Barnsley still lives largely by coal, although industrially it is rapidly becoming more diversified; a process which will probably be hastened when the new motorway complex linking with Leeds and Sheffield is finally completed. The town, headquarters of the 96,000-strong Yorkshire Area of the National Union of Mineworkers since its inception, is ,now also the focal point of the newly-created Barnsley Area of the Coal Board. The Area covers 1 20 square miles of West Riding coal reserves, stretching from collieries north of Sheffield to the coal-mining area just south of Wakefield, and fanning out north-east towards Pontefract and north-west into Pennine country.

Geology

The western boundary of the coalfield is determined by the outcrop of the coal seams, which give way to the Millstone Grit and older rocks. The seams dip gradually to the east and increase in vertical density and in depth: seam density is greatest in the eastern half of the Area. Beyond the Area boundary to the east the Measures pass beneath the later rocks of the Permo-Trias strata, forming a concealed coalfield which has now been worked for over half a century.

The pits of the Barnsley Area are thus located in the exposed coalfield where the seams have been intensively worked from historic times by shallow pits or outcrop workings, and more recently by large modern collieries and opencast mining. In the northern part of the Area, which is about 18 miles across, there is a constant repetition of seam outcrops; and this explains why there has been so much surface drift mining or combination of drifting with shafts in order to tap new reserves.

In the southern part of the Area the Barnsley, Parkgate, Thorncliffe and Silkstone seams have been intensively exploited because of their thickness, quality and accessibility. Many of the remaining unworked seams are of a much thinner section. In the north part of the Area the Barnsley again has been extensively worked, and also the outcrop of many other seams. The remaining reserves are mainly in thin seams and at varying depths down to 800 yards.

History

Coal was first found and worked at a very early period. The monks of Kirkstead, for instance, were allowed to dig for coal in the year 1161; the seam they worked, the Parkgate, outcrops together with the Yellow Mine Ironstone in the neighbourhood of Thorpe Common. The importance of coal for the smelting of iron was soon realised in the ironworks trade for which Sheffield and district are well known. Early development was confined largely to the west due primarily to the shallowness and outcropping of the seams. First canals and then railways encouraged large-scale development, which reached its peak in the 19th century.

Investment

Since nationalisation in 1947, about £64 million has been spent on colliery modernisation, and there has been rapid progress in coalface mechanisation which enables output to be cut and loaded by machines often operating in conjunction with powered supports.

Before 1956 a large percentage of the output, particularly in the northern part of the Area, was still won by conventional methods depending on teams of men with shovels. Today more than 85 per cent. of the annual output of more than 9½ million tons is powerloaded, with a R.O.L.F. (remotely operated longwall face) at Woolley making a contribution.

Markets

The percentage breakdown of sales to the main markets is as follows: Electricity 38.5 per cent; gas 12 per cent; coking (largely blast furnace) 23.5 per cent; general industry 8.5 per cent; house coal 10 per cent; export 3.5 per cent; miners/colliery consumption 4 per cent.

Men And Welfare

Bathing, canteen and medical services at each colliery are provided and operated by the Coal Board; and most pits have their own welfare institutes, usually with adjacent sports grounds, or share with others. Within sight of Monk Bretton colliery is one of two major social centres built for Yorkshire miners. This multi-thousand pound project has a modern concert hall, a six-lane bowling alley, up-to-date restaurant facilities and comfortable lounges. The Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation with its regional headquarters at 25, Huddersfield Road, Barnsley, administers a wide range of activities.