Water Haigh Colliery
Used with kind permission of Wakefield Council Libraries Photographic Collection
Sunk on the south side of the railway at Woodlesford, Water Haigh Colliery was a relatively new pit. It’s two main shafts were sunk 1910 and produced coal for about 60 years before closure in 1970 when it had run out of economically workable reserves.
An accident occurred on the 7th May 1910 during the sinking of No.1 shaft, when part of the side wall collapsed killing 6 men. Another man was killed in a second accident 6 months later. The full report can be found here.
Before nationalisation in 1947 it was owned by Henry Briggs, Son and Company Ltd. Throughout its life the coal was carried away on the Aire and Calder Navigation, by railway, and by lorry.
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