Bushcliffe Colliery

Location	Newmillerdam, Wakefield, West Yorkshire
Commodity	Coal
Type	Coal
Worked	1923/24–1968
Maximum depth	101 feet (31 m)

Overview

A small colliery at Newmillerdam, Wakefield, sunk in 1923–24 to the Woodmoor seam at 101 feet and closed and backfilled in 1968; its capped shafts lie in Newmillerdam Country Park.

History

Bushcliffe Colliery was a small mine at Newmillerdam, south of Wakefield, in woodland beside Bushcliffe Beck that is now part of Newmillerdam Country Park. The park was once part of the Chevet Hall estate, which the Pilkington family held until 1949.

The colliery was sunk in 1923–24 to a depth of 101 feet, reaching the Woodmoor seam, where some of the best household coal was mined. Plans of its Woodmoor workings are held by the Coal Authority, one sheet dated December 1928. It was privately owned until nationalisation.

Bushcliffe closed in 1968 and was backfilled. Its capped shafts remain in the country park, which was designated in 1976 and is owned and managed by Wakefield Council.

Geology

The colliery worked the Woodmoor seam (spelt Woodmore in the park's history), reached at 101 feet, a source of household coal.

Workings

Shafts sunk to 101 feet; plans show workings in the Woodmoor seam.

Closure

Closed and backfilled in 1968.

What remains

The shafts are capped, within Newmillerdam Country Park.

Capped shafts.

Redevelopment

The site lies within Newmillerdam Country Park, designated in 1976 and owned and managed by Wakefield Council.

Recorded claims

Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.

Sunk in 1923–24 to a depth of 101 feet, to the Woodmoor seam. ¹
Privately owned until nationalisation; closed and backfilled in 1968. ¹
Plans of Bushcliffe's workings in the Woodmoor seam are held by the Coal Authority, one sheet dated December 1928. ²
Its capped shafts lie in Newmillerdam Country Park. ¹

Photographs & further reading

Newmillerdam Country Park: A Walk Through Time (reference)

The Friends of Newmillerdam Country Park's history of the park, with a paragraph on Bushcliffe Colliery.

View source

Sources

(secondary) Newmillerdam Country Park: A Walk Through Time (expanded version), Friends of Newmillerdam Country Park — Friends of Newmillerdam Country Park
(primary) BGS / Mining Remediation Authority mine plan: BUSHCLIFFE, Woodmoor seam, abandoned December 1928 — British Geological Survey

Record created: 5 October 2026 · Last researched: 10 October 2026