WEEK 42

Although mining had been taking place in the area for hundreds of years, it was not until the 19th century that it really took off. Small mines were established at Warren Vale and Swinton Common but mining in the area became a massive concern with the opening of Manvers Main Colliery in 1870 and Wath Main in 1875. These two coal mines resulted in a population explosion in Swinton and provided employment for thousands of men for over one hundred years until their demise in the 1980s.