P1 - John Doxey

Click Here To Go To John Doxey' Site Silverwood Colliery.

The Photos and information below are from the book "Around Rotherham" published by Budding Books Sutton Publishing Ltd and is copyright to Anthony P. Munford 1995.

In 1912, 8th July, King George V and Queen Mary visited Silverwood, during the visit the Queen had a ride on a Railway Trolley belonging to the Midland Railway.

During the visit to Silverwood an explosion occurred at Cadeby Colliery killing 88 men and boys. The King and Queen visited Cadeby the next day.

See also Darren Bailey's email

For lots more information about Silverwood visit John Doxey's site

Almost the whole of the Rotherham area is built on coal, coal that has been exploited ever since the Middle Ages. The River Rother runs past Rotherham Main Colliery which was sunk at Canklow by the Sheffield steelmaker John Brown and Co. in 1890.

Workers houses were built nearby and the company supported a school for their children. The colliery closed in 1954, the last of the buildings being obliterated by roadworks.

The main means of underground transport, until well into the 20th century, was Pit Ponies. By the middle of the century they were being replaced by mechanical transport. This photograph was taken around 1960 and shows the last Pit Pony in the Rotherham area being paraded along Rawmarsh High Street.

A group of children were drawn to Waleswood Colliery to see the pit ponies. The photograph was probably taken around 1902 during the extending of the shaft to reach the Floxton seam. An interesting feature is the temporary headgear at the left of the photograph.