Steetley Colliery

Overview

A Nottinghamshire-Derbyshire border colliery sunk by the Shireoaks Colliery Company from 1873, whose single shaft made ventilation so difficult that the company eventually sank an entirely separate colliery, Whitwell, fifteen years later purely to give Steetley a matching air return.

History

The Shireoaks Colliery Company began sinking Steetley Colliery's shaft in May 1873, reaching coal in December 1875, and the colliery opened in 1876. Steetley was sunk with only a single shaft, which made ventilating the workings difficult from the start. The company's solution, adopted only in 1890, was to sink an entirely new colliery: work began on a shaft for Whitwell Colliery on Belph Moor on 24 May 1890, specifically so the two mines could work as a linked pair, with Steetley's own shaft used as the fresh-air intake (downcast) and Whitwell's providing the return (upcast). Steetley Colliery worked on this basis for close to a century, finally closing in 1983.

Workings

A single shaft, which made ventilation difficult until the neighbouring Whitwell Colliery was sunk from 1890 specifically to provide a matching upcast return.

Closure

Closed in 1983 after just over a century of working.

Recorded claims

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

• The Shireoaks Colliery Company began sinking Steetley's shaft in May 1873, reaching coal in December 1875, with the colliery opening in 1876. ¹
• Steetley's single shaft made ventilation difficult; the Shireoaks Colliery Company began sinking the neighbouring Whitwell Colliery on Belph Moor from 24 May 1890 specifically so the two mines could work as an intake/return pair, Steetley providing the downcast and Whitwell the upcast. ¹
• Steetley was owned by the Shireoaks Colliery Company before later passing to British Coal. ²

Photographs & further reading

Sources

1. (secondary) Steetley Colliery — Wikipedia — Wikipedia
2. (secondary) Shireoaks Colliery Co — Graces Guide — Graces Guide

Record created: 2 September 2026 · Last researched: 2 September 2026