# Orgreave Colliery

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Former coal mine in South Yorkshire, England

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**Orgreave Colliery** was a [coal mine](/source/Coal_mine) situated adjacent to the main line of the [Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway](/source/Manchester%2C_Sheffield_and_Lincolnshire_Railway) about 5 miles (8 km) east of [Sheffield](/source/Sheffield) and 3.5 miles (6 km) south west of [Rotherham](/source/Rotherham).[1] The colliery is within the parish of [Orgreave](/source/Orgreave%2C_South_Yorkshire), from which it takes its name.

In June 1984, the adjacent coking works was the scene of a vicious confrontation between police and striking miners during the [Miners' Strike](/source/1984%E2%80%931985_United_Kingdom_miners'_strike).

## History

The opening, by the Sorby family, of Dore House Colliery in 1820 saw the beginning of coal mining in the area around Orgreave, the first shaft of Orgreave Colliery itself being sunk in 1851.

Just over a mile east in the Rother Valley below the village of Fence a colliery was commenced in 1842. This colliery was bought and the Fence Colliery Company founded in 1862. In 1870 this company acquired Orgreave from the Sorby family[2] and in 1875 its Directors leased land in the area from the [Duke of Norfolk](/source/Duke_of_Norfolk). In the same year the Fence Colliery Company was renamed [Rother Vale Collieries](/source/Rother_Vale_Collieries) Limited, owning Orgreave and Fence collieries, later sinking a new colliery at [Treeton](/source/Treeton_Colliery). Fence colliery was connected underground to Orgreave from 1887 and coal was drawn there from 1904.

Following the [First World War](/source/First_World_War) Orgreave was acquired by the [United Steel Companies](/source/United_Steel_Companies) who used the coal obtained to supply the new [Orgreave Coking and By Products plant](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Orgreave_coking_works&action=edit&redlink=1). Metallurgical [coke](/source/Coke_(fuel)) was supplied from here to United Steel’s [blast furnace](/source/Blast_furnace) plant at [Scunthorpe](/source/Scunthorpe). From 1922 coke oven gas was supplied to the Sheffield Gas Company, this continuing until the advent of gas from below the [North Sea](/source/North_Sea).

At [nationalisation](/source/Coal_Industry_Nationalisation_Act_1946) the mining and coking operations were split, the coal processing and chemicals interests stayed with United Steel Companies under their subsidiary, the United Coke & Chemical Company. The collieries at Orgreave and Treeton were linked underground and as well as the coking plant the coal drawn by these collieries was fed to the washery at Orgreave [coal preparation plant](/source/Coal_preparation_plant). Orgreave colliery closed in October 1981,[3] the coking ovens in 1990.[4]

In 1995, British Coal Opencast gained permission to restore the tip, which reputedly contained over 12 million tonnes of spoil, and make the land fit for rebuilding. This work included the recovery of coal, from the tip and sub-surface, by opencasting. On 30 November 2005, the last coal was removed from the Orgreave site, bringing an end to an era which began over 170 years before.[5]

The [River Rother](/source/River_Rother%2C_South_Yorkshire), dubbed one of the country’s most polluted, was re-routed over a stretch of almost ¾ mile[6] and, in conjunction with the closure of the Coalite and Chemicals plant at [Bolsover](/source/Bolsover), cleaned up. The area is now rich in wildlife.

## Redevelopment

100 acres (0.40 km2) of the reclaimed site is now the [Advanced Manufacturing Park](/source/Advanced_Manufacturing_Park),[7] home to research and manufacturing organisations such as the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre with Boeing, Castings Technology International and TWI's Yorkshire Technology Centre.[8]

A further 741 acres (300 ha) is now being developed to form the new [Waverley](/source/Waverley%2C_Rotherham) Community. When complete the development will include residential (4000 homes), office and commercial areas. The project aims to achieve zero carbon status and be an exemplar of sustainable development with 222 acres (0.90 km2) of green space including recreation areas with parkland, three lakes, reservoir, and woodland.

## Rail connections

The [Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway](/source/Manchester%2C_Sheffield_%26_Lincolnshire_Railway)'s (MS&LR) "Extension to London Act" not only contained details of the new main line but also five branch lines to serve collieries on the route, with one exception, that to Orgreave Colliery which was to be served from the MS&LR line about one mile (1.6 km) west of [Woodhouse](/source/Woodhouse_railway_station). In fact this was to become the only branch to be built. It left the main line, where exchange sidings were located, opposite Orgreaves Colliery signal box,[Note 1] and ran through to [a halt at the colliery](/source/Orgreave_Colliery_platform) at the bottom of a 1 in 27 incline.

## The Orgreave Paddy Mail

The colliery was served, at shift change times by workmen's trains, known as [Paddy mails](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Paddy_mails&action=edit&redlink=1), which ran between [Sheffield Victoria](/source/Sheffield_Victoria_railway_station) and [Orgreave Colliery](/source/Orgreave_Colliery_platform). One of these trains was involved in an [accident](/source/Orgreave_Paddy_Mail_accident) on the morning of 13 December 1926.[9]

The train service was withdrawn in May 1932 when the [River Rother](/source/River_Rother%2C_South_Yorkshire) flooded and washed away parts of the three bridges which crossed it. All traffic was severed and a replacement bus service was introduced in place of the Paddy mail which never returned. [Sheffield Corporation](/source/Sheffield_City_Council) began operating a regular service of "Pit Buses" along the main routes from the city centre.

## Rolling stock

The Rothervale Collieries locomotives could be found working at Orgreave, Treeton and Thurcroft Collieries and were transferred as necessary. All the locomotives listed below, except those shown as being scrapped or being owned by United Coke and Chemicals, became the property of the [National Coal Board](/source/National_Coal_Board) on nationalisation.

Number Wheel Arrangement Cylinders Manufacturer Works Number Date Notes Orgreave Colliery No.1 0-6-0ST Outside Hudswell, Clarke & Rodgers 116 1872 Returned to builders 1891 Rothervale No.0 0-6-0ST Inside Beyer, Peacock & Company 1830 1879 ex-E&WJR No.1(4.1890). Rothervale No.1 until 1929 Rothervale No.1 0-6-0ST Outside Yorkshire Engine Company 2240 1929 Rothervale No.2 0-6-0ST Outside Hudswell, Clarke & Rodgers 170 1876 Scrapped 1920 Rothervale No.2 0-6-0ST Outside Yorkshire Engine Company 1921 Rothervale No.3 0-6-0ST Outside Hudswell Clarke 376 1891 Rothervale No.4 0-6-0ST Inside Hunslet Engine Company 410 1893 Rothervale No.5 0-4-0ST Outside Manning Wardle 794 1882 ex C.J.Willis, scrapped 1912 Rothervale No.6 0-6-0ST Inside Hudswell Clarke 565 1900 Rothervale No.7 0-6-0ST Outside Yorkshire Engine Company 1021 1909 Rothervale No.8 0-6-0ST Outside Kerr, Stuart & Company 3075 1917 ex Railway Operating Division No.607/1919 Rothervale No.9 0-6-0ST Outside Andrew Barclay Sons & Co 1347 1918 ex Frodingham Iron Co 1922 No.10 Huntsman 0-6-0ST Outside Andrew Barclay Sons & Co 2010 1936 ex Tinsley Park Collieries No.11 0-6-0ST Inside Hunslet Engine Company 3134 1944 No.1 0-6-0ST Outside Yorkshire Engine Company 2524 1953 Owned by United Coke & No.2 0-6-0ST Outside Yorkshire Engine Company 2562 1954 Chemicals for working at Orgreave Coke Ovens No.5 0-6-0DE Yorkshire Engine Company 2670 1958 New to Stanton Ironworks (No50), preserved at Nene Valley Railway

## Footnotes

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** The 's' was added in error by the MS&LR but was never corrected.

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["History of Orgreave, in Rotherham and West Riding | Map and description"](http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/13846). *www.visionofbritain.org.uk*. Retrieved 11 September 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Treeton Colliery - Northern Mine Research Society"](https://www.nmrs.org.uk/mines-map/coal-mining-in-the-british-isles/yorkshire-coalfield/sheffield/treeton/). *nmrs.org.uk*. Retrieved 11 September 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Winterton, Jonathan; Winterton, Ruth (1989). *Coal, crisis, and conflict : the 1984-85 miners' strike in Yorkshire*. Manchester: [Manchester University Press](/source/Manchester_University_Press). p. 56. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-7190-2548-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7190-2548-6).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Stratton, Michael; Trinder, Barrie (2000). *Twentieth century industrial archaeology*. London: E & FN Spon. p. 28. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-419-24680-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-419-24680-0).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Herbert, Ian (15 December 2005). "Yorkshire's Alamo finally passes in to history, 21 years on". *[The Independent](/source/The_Independent)*. [ProQuest](/source/ProQuest) [310909993](https://www.proquest.com/docview/310909993).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Longworth, Bryan (5 October 2010). "Villagers fight to keep rights of way". *[Yorkshire Post](/source/Yorkshire_Post)*. [ProQuest](/source/ProQuest) [762721025](https://www.proquest.com/docview/762721025).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Norfolk, Andrew (16 March 2004). "Leeds leads the way forward". *[The Times](/source/The_Times)*. No. 68, 019. p. 5.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Milmo, Dan (7 July 2012). ["In Orgreave, hope rises from the fields where miners fought and lost"](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2012/jul/08/orgreave-hope-miners-fought-lost). *[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)*. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0140-0460](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0140-0460). Retrieved 11 September 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["MoT Orgreave 1926"](http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/MoT_Orgreave1926.pdf) (PDF). *railwaysarchive.co.uk*. 25 January 1927. p. 1. Retrieved 11 September 2018.

## Sources

*East of Sheffield*, by Roger Milnes, *"Forward"*, Journal of the Great Central Railway Society, No.16, March 1978. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0141-4488](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0141-4488). (This article also uses unpublished research material not used in "East of Sheffield" provided by members of the Woodhouse Local History Group, local members of the Great Central Railway Society and others).

v t e Coal mining in Yorkshire Coal mines in North Yorkshire Selby complex2 (Gascoigne Wood, North Selby, Riccall, Stillingfleet, Whitemoor Wistow) Tan Hill Coal mines in South Yorkshire1 Aldwarke1 Askern Barnburgh Barrow Bentley Brodsworth Brookhouse Bullcroft1 Birley Cortonwood Dalton Dinnington Elsecar Fence Harry Crofts1 Hatfield Hickleton High Hazels Huskar Kilnhurst Kiveton Park Maltby Manvers Markham Main New Stubbin North Staveley Nunnery1 Orgreave Rossington Rother Vale Rotherham1 Roundwood1 Silverwood Smithies Thorne1 Thurcroft Tinsley Park Treeton Waleswood Warren House Warren Vale Wath Wharncliffe Woodmoor Yorkshire Main Coal mines in West Yorkshire Caphouse Flockton Frickley Garforth Collieries (Isabella Pit, Sisters Pit, Trench Pit) Kellingley Killingbeck Middleton Shuttle Eye Prince of Wales Upton Waterloo Main Wheldale Woolley Incidents Allerton Bywater Colliery Explosion Cadeby Main pit disaster Lofthouse Colliery disaster Lundhill Colliery explosion Oaks explosion Peckfield Colliery disaster Coalfields and seams Coal seams of the South Yorkshire Coalfield Ingleton Coalfield South Yorkshire Coalfield Industrial relations UK miners' strike (1969) UK miners' strike (1972) UK miners' strike (1984–85) Battle of Orgreave South Yorkshire Miners' Association West Yorkshire Miners' Association Yorkshire Miners' Association Other articles Geology of Yorkshire List of collieries in Yorkshire (1984–2015) Monckton Coke Works National Coal Mining Museum for England British MPs sponsored by mining unions Notes 1 Pre 1974, most coal mines in South Yorkshire were actually in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Those annotated with a number 1, were closed before 1974. 2 The Selby Coalfield straddled the border of North and West Yorkshire

[53°22′45″N 1°21′53″W / 53.37917°N 1.36469°W / 53.37917; -1.36469](https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Orgreave_Colliery&params=53.37917_N_1.36469_W_type:landmark_region:GB_source:npemap.org.uk-enwiki)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Orgreave Colliery](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orgreave_Colliery) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orgreave_Colliery?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.