The underlying strata that Deepcar and Stocksbridge are built on generally slopes down to the North and East. On the top is the Sandstone, Quarried at Greenmoor, below this is the Millstone Grit of Wharncliffe Crags. Next is are a series of layers that were worked to some degree by mining. Upper of these is Halifax Hard Coal; then White Carr Clay, a type of fire clay; Gannister, another Fire Clay; and lowest was Halifax Soft Coal, a coking coal. All four of these seem to have been worked at one time or another on both sides of the Little Don valley, as well as Gannister being worked in Wharncliffe Woods to within living memory.
Fire Clay, which outcrops in many places in the valleys to the West of Sheffield, only ceased to be worked during the 1990s at Stannington.
This is the only fireclay shaft to survive. It is supposed to have reached Coal at 108ft and Pot Clay at 261ft.
It is not known when the mine was sunk nor when the headgear shown above was built or last used
Located just to the west of Midhopestones crossroads on the A616, the adit discharges ochre rich water that has been culverted around Underbank reservoir. Water from an adit of Bullhouse colliery, further to the west was also run in this culvert.
In late February 2002, water from the adit caused flooring and damage to the A616 road, resulting in it being closed for 3½ days.
Coal worked pre 1860.
Worked by Samuel Fox & Co. with 2 or 3 adits to extract most coal from the Halifax Hard seam with only a little worked for the Halifax Soft seam 55ft below.
The coal was worked by Samuel Fox & Co. for many years, the exact dates are not known at this time, but it is known that in the 1930s there were four faces being worked with mechanised coal cutters. No specific spoil heap was created from the colliery, but it is likely that much material was taken to the general works tip at an area known as Soughly (now a junction on the A616 trunk road). The high content of coal here would explain why the tip was on fire until shortly before the road across it was constructed.
Samuel Fox, and later United Steel Companies, operated coke oven and gas producers in Stocksbridge for many years, undoubtedly using a high proportion of their own coal.
The Colliery was vested in the NCB in 1947 and closed shortly afterwards as the supposed 11.4 million tons of coal remaining in the colliery could not be extracted by machine.
The photograph shows what is probably the entrance to the last working mine. As can be seen, steel supports were used but the entrance has collapsed and the mine flooded. The Ochreous water that flows out can be seen from the other side of the valley flowing down the hillside.
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