This colliery was located at the side of what is now known as Pabilow Row, on Hermit Hill Lane to the north of Wortley village. It was opened in 1864 and operated until 1882 by Andrews, Burrows & Co. (later Thomas Andrews & Co.) owners of the Wortley Forges.
The colliery has 'Silkstone' in its main, in spite of being some miles from the village of Silkstone, because it worked the Silkstone seam (the lowest seam of the middle bed of coal that form the main South Yorkshire Coal Field.)
The coal seam rises towards the south west and is so close to the surface at this point that is does not even get as far as the village of Wortley.
For some years after the colliery close, Thomas Andrews & Co. tried to reopen it and a document exists that shows a 25 acre site to the east of the former workings, but as this seems to have been proposed in 1909, Thomas Andrews himself may have died before any work started.
The Wortley Forges may also have had a stake in a colliery near Thurgoland.
The Silkstone seam in this area has been worked up to around 1956, although the latter workings were from drift mines and the last was by open cast.
Collieries surrounding Wortley Silkstone Main Colliery :-
Cliffe Bridge Colliery
Eastfield Colliery
Hand Lane Colliery & Hand Lane Bottom Colliery
Rockley Colliery (not to be confused with Rockley Iron Mine, adjacent to Rockley Furnace)
Stanhope Silkstone Main Colliery, with its railway running past Thurgoland.
Stoney Royd Colliery
Wharncliffe Silkstone Colliery, the only major colliery on this list. Started in 1853 it closed in 1966, although coal from its workings continued to be drawn by Rockingham Colliery, on the other side of the M1 motorway.
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