Some of the Old Survivors
For a long time the town and indeed the area that makes up the borough of Rotherham were largely agricultural with pockets of small-scale industry.
In Roman times there is scant evidence of iron ore mining, smelting and glass manufacture. By the Middle Ages there was mining and iron production at Kimberworth. In this area the seams of iron ore and coal are found together and were mined from bell pits or shallow shafts. The ore was smelted using charcoal, but it seems likely that the coal was utilised for heating purposes.
By Tudor times there were iron industries in the valley of the River Don close to Rotherham and in other places where there was an adequate water supply. As the 18th and 19th Centuries progressed great swathes of the river valleys, Don, Rother and Dearne became home to massive industrial complexes.
By the second half of the 20th Century most of the coal mines and some of the other industries have gone. These are some of the survivors.
Coal Mining
The remains of bell pits can be found in many parts of the borough and by Tudor Times many homes in the borough were heated by coal. Later came shallow pits, adits, deep mines, huge opencast areas excavated by draglines. In the 21st Century the remains of all this activity still scar many parts of Rotherham with slag heaps and contaminated ponds, although there has been much work done opencasting and reclaiming some of these areas.
The last survivor of the coal mining trade in Rotherham is Maltby Colliery which is situated on the Tickhill Road just to the east of the township of Maltby, about 12 kilometers from Rotherham. The first shafts were sunk in 1907 and production began in 1911. The colliery was taken over by Hargreaves Services in 2007. Production may cease by 2015.
Confectionery
Confectionery has been made in Rotherham since at least 1853. The present day survivor is the KP Nut factory on the Eastwood Trading Estate.
The Glass Industry
From about 1751 John Wright was in business at Greasbrough in partnership with others in the manufacturing of glass. In 1783 the business was owned by William Beatson, and in various partnerships existed as a family business known latterly as Beatson, Clark and Co. Ltd, which became a public company in 1961. The family connection has now ceased and the company is presently part of the Newship Group.
The Iron & Steel Industry
The production of iron and steel, and the manufacture of goods using the metals has taken place in Rotherham since the 16th Century. Though the 17th, 18th, 19th and for much of the 20th Centuries the industry, despite occasional ups and downs, was constantly expanding and employed thousands of men. During the latter part of the 20th Century there were a variety of reasons but many of the iron and steel producers and manufacturers closed down. Steel Producers that remain in the 21st Century are Aldwarke Steel and Brinsworth Strip Mill both of which produce specialist steels. From 2007 these have become part of the Indian steel group Tata. Offices have closed but so far the steelworks are still in operation.
In addition to these there are Iron & Steel Merchants, Founders & Finishers, Metal Cutters & Shearers, Metal Stamping and Forging Companies, Pipes & Fittings Metal, Profile Cutting, Sheet Metal Work, Steel Erectors, Steel Fabricators and Steel Stockholders far too numerous to mention. A visit to Yell will put you in touch with them.
Short histories of the various trades and industries that once prospered in Rotherham can be read onsite at History - Trade & Industry.