Garswood & Brynn

Most of the land in this district was owned by Baron Gerard of Garswood Hall. A succession of Lord Gerards were content to lease out the coal reserves under their lands rather than work it themselves. The area became the scene of intense mining activity beginning in the early 1850’s and continuing until 1958. Massive dirt tips dominated the area known as the Three Sisters or alternatively as the Wigan Alps.

Early in this area was Brynn Moss Colliery which appears to have been sunk by William Garstang about 1850. It passed through several owners before closing about 1887.

A longer lived operation was Brynn Hall Colliery which had an inauspicious beginning under Smith & Sons about 1859 and had failed by 1866. The partnership Crippin & Smethurst took over in 1866 but Smethurst dropped out in 1867. Thereafter, various members of the Crippin family worked the colliery until 1892. During this time the colliery was extended to comprise five shafts. Brynn Hall Colliery Co. Ltd was formed in 1893 to take over from the Crippin family and under this ownership the concern survived until 1945. From about 1920 the colliery seemed to suffer lean times.

Mercer & Evans were involved in sinkings at Park Lane, Garswood in 1853 but sold out in 1873 to the newly formed Garswood Coal & Iron Co. Ltd. This company intended to erect blast furnaces but never did so and concentrated on the coal mining aspect of the business. A multitude of shafts were sunk, the last ones being at Long Lane, completed in 1894. The Garswood Coal & Iron Co. Ltd went into voluntary liquidation in 1929, the assets being taken over by Garswood Hall Collieries Co. Ltd. All the pits except those at Long Lane were immediately closed.

Dewhurst, Hoyle & Smethurst began sinking on Baron Gerard’s land in the late 1860s. Subsequently the firm became Hoyle, Smethurst & Grime before re-forming as Garswood Hall Collieries Co. Ltd in 1883. Seven shafts had been sunk by the end of the 19th century and a further and final shaft was sunk at Edge Green, work commencing in 1901. The company survived until Nationalisation in 1947 but the colliery had commenced a long run-down in the 1930’s, finally closing in 1958.

Thomas Stone commenced mining in the area around 1868 with a colliery about t mile west of Bryn station. He died in 1881 and the colliery was continued by J. & R. Stone until it was worked out in 1891. J. & R. Stone started to sink Park Colliery, Garswood in 1887 and three shafts had been completed by 1892. J. & R. Stone were also railway construction contractors. J. & R. Stone & Co. Ltd was formed in 1909 and continued to work the colliery until Nationalisation. The colliery itself survived until 1960.