MineArchiveMottram Wood Colliery
| Location | Half a mile north-east of Barnsley town centre, South Yorkshire — 53.5598, -1.4648 (approximate) |
|---|---|
| Commodity | Coal |
| Type | Coal |
| Worked | 1908–1944 |
| Maximum depth | Unknown. |
| Operators | Mottram Wood Colliery Company (1908–1944), Barnsley Syndicate Ltd |
Overview
A small colliery half a mile north-east of Barnsley, worked by the Mottram Wood Colliery Company from 1908 until 1944, where an ignition of methane killed three men in April 1943.
History
Mottram Wood Colliery lay about half a mile north-east of the centre of Barnsley. It was worked from 1908 by the Mottram Wood Colliery Company, Limited, and later also by the Barnsley Syndicate, Limited, through four pits, Nos. 1 to 4; a plan of the abandoned workings of No. 2 is dated 1914. It was a small concern: 63 men in 1923, 88 at Nos. 3 and 4 in 1933, and 120 at Nos. 1 and 2 in 1937 and 1940.
The pit was gassy. In April 1924 a deputy of 63, John Clarke, was killed by an explosion of firedamp in the sixth hour of the night shift, and on 10 April 1943 an ignition of methane killed three men: Harold Beecroft, 29, George Henry Jackson Hoult, 25, and Alexander Lloyd, 23. The colliery was worked until 1944 and abandoned in September 1945, the date of its last plans.
Geology
Unknown.
Workings
Four pits, Nos. 1 to 4, worked in pairs.
Closure
Worked until 1944; abandoned in September 1945.
What remains
Unknown.
Nearby mines
- Mount Osborne Colliery — 0.7 miles (1.1 km) S
- Barnsley Main Colliery — 0.7 miles (1.2 km) SE
- Wharncliffe Carlton Colliery — 0.9 miles (1.4 km) NW
- Oaks Colliery — 1.1 miles (1.8 km) S
- East Gawber Colliery — 1.2 miles (1.9 km) NW
Straight-line distance, within 9 miles (15 km). Show on the map.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- Mottram Wood colliery, Barnsley, worked from 1908 to 1944 and was abandoned in September 1945. 1
- Mottram Wood was owned by the Mottram Wood Colliery Co. Ltd and the Barnsley Syndicate Ltd, with Nos. 1 to 4 pits. 2
- On 10 April 1943 an ignition of methane at Mottram Wood killed Harold Beecroft, George Henry Jackson Hoult and Alexander Lloyd. 2
- Abandonment plans of Mottram Wood are dated 1914 (No. 2) and 1945. 3,4
Sources
- (secondary) Coal Mines in Yorkshire 1854: M — Northern Mine Research Society
- (primary) Mottram Wood Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
- (primary) BGS / Mining Remediation Authority mine plan 21916712: Mottram Wood No 2, abandoned 1914 — British Geological Survey
- (primary) BGS / Mining Remediation Authority mine plan 21936252: Mottram Wood, abandoned 1945 — British Geological Survey
Record created: 21 October 2026 · Last researched: 21 October 2026