Home Industry and Commerce Mining “Top End.” – Closing of Swinton Common Pit

“Top End.” – Closing of Swinton Common Pit

January 1929

Mexborough & Swinton Times – Friday 25 January 1929

“Top End.”

Closing of Swinton Common Pit.

Some Recollections.

With the closing of the Swinton Common —or “Top End”—pit ends another chapter in the history of the Kilnhurst Collieries. The pit was one of the oldest in the district, being one of the “offshoots” of the old Warren Vale Colliery.

Some interesting details were given this week to a “Times’ reporter by two of the oldest workmen. These were Henry Outram, who is 73 years old, and lives at the Woodman, Swinton. and Mr. George Straw, who is in his 83rd year, and at Newhill.

Mr Outram was on the books of the firm for 51 years, 10 years as a blacksmith at the old Warren Vale pit, and for 31 years as the enginewright at the Top End.

Mr. Outram went to the Top End when the firm began to draw coal there for land sale, home coals, and for firing the boilers. That was 31 years ago. Previously only men engaged, on the afternoon shifts went down that shaft, and the men employed on the morning shift were drawn out. The others went down at the Warren Vale end. At that time some 300 men were employed at the Top End, and the highest tonnage ever drawn per day would he about 100 tons. The coal was from the Barnsley seam. Warren Vale stopped in December, 1896, and about that time Thrybergh Hall was joined with the Top, End

Mr. George Straw had other details to add to those given by Mr. Outram. He commenced work at ‘Warren Vale at the age of 11 years, and worked between that pit and the Top End for 57 years as a skilled worker, retiring about 14 years ago. He said the pit consisted of three shafts, the up-cast, down-cast, and what is called the “water pit.’ The up and down cast shaft’, were 155 feet deep, the water pit being 100 feet.

No attempt had ever been made to get down to the Parkgate seam, and in Mr. Straw’s opinion that was a mistake on the part of the management.

The down-cast shaft was sunk at least 60 years ago, the up-cast being sunk in 1877. At one time they were only used for ventilation purposes, as was I the present Warren Vale Colliery.

Mr. Straw, up to the time of his retirement, had a sound knowledge of all the workable coal in the pit, and he estimated that the management could have gone on working at the Top End for at least six or seven years before working out.

This Both of the old workmen agreed that the coal from the Top End was far better than that secured from the Kilnhurst Colliery, and both spoke of the great amount of water in the workings. Mr. Outram recalled experiences where he had had to work op to the shoulders in water.

A common experience was the fastening of joints on pipes well under water. “There always an extra seam in the pit.” said Mr. Straw, ‘and that was of water. If the pumps ever stopped it would soon be flooded.”