Deerplay Colliery
The drifts here were driven by the Deerplay Colliery Co. in 1894/5. The intake drift was 455 meters while the return drift was 368 meters with lower mountain and little mines being what was worked. Pre nationalisation the site employed a total of 54 men at its busiest, 46 underground and 8 on the surface. The site suffered a temporary closure in 1941 due to various reasons and reopened in 1951 after extensive refurbishment by the National Coal Board. The earlier workings were all to the west of the drifts and the Coal Board's faces were to the east of them. The National Coal Boards operation on the site was a much larger one than that of the Deerplay Colliery Co. had been with an average of 143 men underground and 15 on the surface between 1952 and 1967. The last face line, dated 27/11/1967, was approaching the caution zone around abandoned Hill Top workings however the National Coal Boards records show the mine as closing in March 1968. The colliery reopened in later years being funded and operated by 2 local businessmen with records showing that there was atleast 30 men employed at the site during the 1980's. The colliery was worked even later than this and was known as Lanashire's last working coal mine however i cant find any more info regarding dates. There is no underground access left today but there is some interesting above ground features including mine water drainage ditches, a pumping station and methane burner.