Today we take a look at a former coal mine which was part of the Selby coalfield.
Selby coalfield (also known as the Selby complex, or Selby 'superpit') was a large-scale deep underground mine complex based around Selby, North Yorkshire, England, with pitheads at Wistow Mine, Stillingfleet Mine, Riccall Mine, North Selby Mine, Whitemoor Mine and at Gascoigne Wood Mine; all coal was brought to the surface and treated at Gascoigne Wood, being distributed onwards by rail. The primary purpose of the pit was to supply coal for electrical power generation; much of it was used in the nearby Aire valley power stations.
Mining peaked in 1993-4 at 12 million tonnes a year. The mines were acquired by RJB Mining in 1997 after the privatisation of the coal industry; loss of financial subsidy, geological problems, and low UK coal prices made the pits unprofitable by the 21st century. Closure was announced in 2002, and mining completely ceased by 2004.
Planning permission was granted for two 7.315 metre (24 feet) diameter shafts to be sunk at North Selby Mine in 1977, and Cementation Mining Ltd began sinking in 1978. In order to get them through the water-logged Bunter Sandstone and into the Upper Permian Marl, the shaft were frozen from the surface to a depth of around 280 metres. It took until 1986 to complete the shafts to a depth of 1043 metres with an inset to the Barnsley seam at 991 metres. Mining began in January 1991.
Because of its depth, North Selby was prone to extreme floor heave in the roadways serving faces etc. This and other geological problems led to the mine being closed and its take merged with Stillingfleet Mine in July 1997.
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