The
Unofficial Website
Wath upon Dearne & the Surrounding Villages
including Abdy, Brampton, Brampton Bierlow, Cortonwood, Hollowgate, Manvers, Newhill, Westfield & West Melton
The town of Wath upon Dearne and the surrounding villages in the Borough
of Rotherham are situated to the south of the floodplain of the River Dearne and the Dearne and Dove Canal. To the north is the Borough of Barnsley and the villages of Bolton upon
Dearne, Dearne, Thurnscoe, Thurnscoe East and Goldthorpe. To the east is the Borough of Doncaster through which the river and canal flow generally eastwards to join the River Don at
Conisbrough. These areas of Rotherham, Barnsley and Doncaster are known as the Dearne Valley.
Until a few years ago the Dearne Valley was home to what was reputed to be the biggest, dirtiest coal complex anywhere in Britain - Manvers Main. The complex consisted of the colliery, tips, slurry lagoons, coal conveyors and a huge set of railway sidings including Wath Concentration Yard. These are all gone now and a lot of money has been spent reclaiming the site. At the eastern end there is now a trading estate; a complex in itself which includes many call centres and Dearne Valley College. The rest of the site was to be developed as a country park with woodlands and walks around the lake. However the site has been either sold or leased to a development company who intend to build housing, shops and recreation facilities including a nine-hole golf course.
The Villages
Abdy
How could I have missed Abdy in my initial review of Rotherham Villages? Quite easily really. Despite large lettering on the map there are only a handful of houses there and one of them is the clubhouse for Wath Golf Club.
Brampton & Brampton Bierlow
Please visit the villages of Brampton & Brampton Bierlow here.
Cortonwood
The first shaft of Cortonwood Colliery was sunk in 1873 and the pit closed in 1986. The name Cortonwood does not appear on any of my maps as a village name but it must have existed as there was Cortonwood Methodist Chapel, called 'The Tin Chapel' and Cortonwood School. The pit owners built the original chapel and a school which closed when the council school opened in 1933. They also built housing for the miners which was very unusual because they were made of concrete: 106 houses that came to be known as 'Concrete Cottages'. These were demolished in the 1950s. The Cortonwood Colliery site is now being developed, and contains houses, an industrial estate, a supermarket, a restaurant, and many more buildings which are appearing by the month.
Hollowgate
Gate comes from the Old English 'gade' which does not mean gate, but street or way. Hence the way into the hollow or valley. The valley in question was that of the River Dearne where until a few years ago there was the huge railway system called Wath Concentration Yard for the coal and coke from Manvers Main and coking plant.
Manvers
The site of the old Manvers Main has been reclaimed and is partly covered by modern trading and office units.
Newhill
Please visit the village of Newhill here.
Wath upon Dearne
Please visit the town of Wath upon Dearne here.
Westfield
The west field. Its basically just a name on a map and not much else.
West Melton
Please visit the village of West Melton here.