Maltby Main
Maltby Main is the last colliery still operating in the Borough of Rotherham. The history of Maltby Colliery began in 1907 when the two original shafts were sunk. The first coal was produced in 1911. In order to attract and house the workers necessary for the pit the colliery company commissioned Maltby Model Village, a housing estate consisting of 1000 houses built in two concentric circles of roads. Maltby Colliery mined some very rich seams of coal and was renowned for its production. In 1945 prior to nationalisation it was owned by Amalgamated Denaby Collieries Ltd., Denaby Main, Doncaster, Yorks. Between 1951 and 1961 the two shafts were deepened by fifty yards allowing access to the Barnsley seam to be made horizontally from a newly constructed pit bottom. This deepening also gave access to a new Swallow Wood seam, and a second pit bottom was also created. By 1969 the Barnsley seam was generally considered exhausted and production went over to the Swallow Wood.
In 1981 a major project long in the planning was begun to mine the Parkgate seam. This meant that a new mineral shaft had to be sunk and a new pit bottom constructed. The project cost £180m and the first coal was produced in 1982. The first advancing face came on stream in April 1992. No sooner had the pit begun work and hitting targets than the government decided to mothball it. It never happened although the number of Maltby miners dropped from 1300 to 800.
Maltby Colliery was bought by RJB Mining later renamed UK Coal in 1994. Silverwood the adjacent mine closed at this time and with plenty of reserves in the seams being worked it looked as if there was a secure future for the colliery. However in 1997 RJB was forced to halt production at the mine: uncertainty over contracts was blamed. Eventually only 200 essential maintenance staff remained. However the mine re-commenced work excavating both the Parkgate seam (estimated to be exhausted by 2014) and the Thorncliff or Silkstone seam to extend the life of the pit.
The colliery made an £18.2 million loss for the colliery in 2006 which was in part due to a roof collapse which halted production at the end of the year.
In February 2007 Maltby Colliery was sold to Hargreaves Services. This is a company which provides services and materials to the energy industry. Despite the problems Hargreaves Services was confident they had been resolved and described the colliery as 'a very good mine, with great potential'. Hargreaves are also looking forward to 2015 when the colliery is expected to cease production "In 2015, we will look to develop the site as an industrial park, but nothing has been confirmed yet. The unions are aware of this...".
Also information about Maltby Main off site here.