Savile Colliery

Overview

The Methley pit sunk in 1874 at the west end of Mickletown's Main Street to work the Haigh Moor seam, which turned a farming village into a mining one; reprieved by the 1984 strike, it stopped coaling in August 1985 after more than a century.

History

Two shafts were sunk at the west end of Main Street, Mickletown, in 1874 to develop the Haigh Moor seam, linking with the former Whitwood Pit in the Earl of Mexborough's royalty, and full-scale working had begun by 1878. The mine, owned until nationalisation by Henry Briggs, Son and Company, transformed Methley: families came for work, the village changed from agricultural to semi-industrial, and the population grew to over 4,000 by 1901. Around 1900 a tall chimney dominated the pit yard and Main Street, blackening everything nearby; the winding gear and workshops ran on steam, and the pit's own railway carried coal to the landsale depot, to a canal basin and to the LMS main line. After 1947 the yard was extended with new workshops and a canteen, pithead baths were built around 1955 and the winding was electrified in 1958, making the chimney obsolete. The colliery was scheduled for closure in 1983, but the 1984-85 strike extended its life; the Coal Board said the workable seams were exhausted and there were geological problems. Still producing 5,000 tonnes a week, it stopped coaling on 23 August 1985; the remaining 270 men, of 415, went to Selby or nearby pits, clearance ended on 14 October, and the site was empty by the end of November.

Geology

The Haigh Moor seam of the Yorkshire Coal Measures, the seam the shafts were sunk to develop.

Workings

Two shafts (1874) linked to the former Whitwood Pit, with steam winding until electrification in 1958, coal washing and screening plant, and a pit railway to the canal basin and the main line.

Closure

Scheduled for closure in 1983, reprieved by the 1984-85 strike; coaling ended on 23 August 1985 with seams exhausted and geological problems, and all work on site ceased by 30 November 1985.

What remains

Unknown.

Unknown.

Redevelopment

Unknown.

Nearby mines

• Allerton Bywater Colliery — 2.0 km NE
• Whitwood Colliery — 2.5 km S
• Altofts Colliery — 3.0 km S
• Wheldale Colliery — 3.3 km SE
• Ledston Luck Colliery — 4.5 km NE

Straight-line distance, within 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.

• Two shafts were sunk in 1874 at the west end of Main Street, Mickletown, to develop the Haigh Moor seam, linking the former Whitwood Pit in the Earl of Mexborough's royalty; full-scale working by 1878; owned until 1947 by Henry Briggs, Son and Co. ¹
• After nationalisation the yard was extended with new workshops and canteen; pithead baths were built around 1955 and the winding gear electrified in 1958. ¹
• Scheduled for closure in 1983 but extended by the 1984 strike; coal production ended on 23 August 1985; the workforce of 415 had fallen to 270, transferred to Selby or nearby mines; work ceased 14 October and no men were on site after 30 November 1985. ²
• Savile Colliery at Methley closed in 1985; it is often confused with the Savile & Shawcross colliery, which closed in 1968. ³

Photographs & further reading

Sources

1. (secondary) The Savile Pit - mppt040 - Methley Archive — Methley Archive
2. (secondary) Savile Pit Demolition mppt043 - Methley Archive — Methley Archive
3. (secondary) List of collieries in Yorkshire (1984–2015) — Wikipedia

Record created: 21 September 2026 · Last researched: 21 September 2026