Manvers

Manvers

Manvers Main Colliery was a coal mine, sunk on land belonging to the Earl Manvers and was situated on the northern edge of the township of Wath-upon-Dearne, between that town and Mexborough, in the Dearne Valley, South Yorkshire, England. Within the complex was the Regional headquarters and laboratories of British Coal.

Manvers was, in fact, a complex of collieries, the original sinkings being known as "Old Manvers", the later sinkings as "New Manvers", and a coke and by-products plant. The first shaft was sunk in the late 19th century and this was followed by the second shaft, sunk between 1900 and 1901, and later a third shaft was added.

The Manvers Main Colliery Company was also responsible, in 1911, for the sinking of two shafts at Barnburgh, a village about two miles north east. The collieries were connected by a private railway.

Between 1920 and 1934, the manager of the coke-oven, washery and brickworks departments at Manvers Main was Cornelius Finn, who during this period (1923-24) was also president of the Coke Oven Managers Association.

On 4 March 1945, the colliery suffered an accident which caused the death of five underground workers. The cause was an explosion of firedamp ignited by sparks from a damaged trailing cable.

Immediately prior to nationalization, Manvers was owned by Manvers Main Collieries Ltd. The coke ovens and coal by-products plant were closed in 1981. With rationalisation in the South Yorkshire coalfield, from 1950 to 1956, this became the centre of coal output from a number of local collieries (known as the South Manvers complex) linked below ground and including Wath Main and Kilnhurst. The colliery complex was closed on 25 March 1988.