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Steetley Colliery is a former colliery on the Derbyshire/Nottinghamshire border.
Its story begins in the late 19th century when, in December 1875, a seam of coal was discovered. The site was bought by the Shireoaks Colliery Company from the Duke of Newcastle and this created a turning point in the history of Worksop: from an agricultural town to an industrial powerhouse, boosting its population and creating a prosperous future.
Winding coal at Steetley's unique single-shaft mine began in 1876 and this went on to hold the record for the deepest mine in the Yorkshire coalfield. By 1950 Steetley had one of the most productive coalfaces in the area and was providing employment for over 500 people: over 40% of the total workforce in Worksop. Given its demands on the local labour force and the remoteness of the colliery, the Shireoaks Colliery Company set about establishing new housing for the Steetley workers; the pit village of Rhodesia, Nottinghamshire is one such example.
At peak production the Colliery workforce could produce up to 33,000 tonnes of coal each year. Individual coal seams were used for different purposes: the Top Hard Seam was one of the most famous in the world due to its high commercial value, while the High Hazel Seam, mined from 1956 to 1983, supplied good quality domestic fuel.
By the time the Steetley colliery was sunk, the area was also occupied by several large farms and a limestone quarry that had operated on and off for centuries; the local Steetley Chapel, built around 1150, is constructed of local stone. Steetley quarry closed in the 1960s.
As the technology and machine age developed, many of the jobs at the colliery were lost and eventually, on 11 March 1983, the last coal was cut at Steetley.
The colliery site is in the process of being redeveloped by construction company Laing O'Rourke as an industrial complex known as Explore Industrial Park.
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