IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Garden Drive, BARNSLEY, S73 0WF

This former Chapel - on the aptly named Chapel lane - has been refurbished into the Cortonwood Comeback Community Centre. This chapel was used during the 1984 Miners Strike as a refuge and rest centre for the striking miners and their families.

Immediately to the right of this picture, behind the trees and houses, is the former Pit Lane to the infamous Cortonwood Colliery … see … Image Back in 1984, during the Miners' Strike, the police lined up across Knollbeck Lane, just to the right of the steps shown, and blocked off access to the Pit Lane. A memorable picture of this area and a miner taunting the police with a snowman toy can be seen by following this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_miners%27_strike_(1984%E2%80%931985) . The Wikipedia picture also shows the Cortonwood Colliery entrance sign as described in the linked former Pit Lane picture. The relevance of the snowman taunt … well, that's another story to investigate.

This Road - known as Pit Lane - originally led to Cortonwood Colliery … I understand that the lane originally had gates, suitably endorsed with the name 'Cortonwood Colliery' but that these were ordered to be removed during the infamous 1984 Miner's Strike so that they couldn't be preserved by the Miners and used for propaganda purposes. Immediately to the left of this picture was the site of a Police Blockade, infamously remembered in a photograph showing a Miner taunting the Police with a Snownan Toy … … see this picture and follow the link … Image The lane is now closed off to Road Traffic but is still open as a footpath and leads to the Cortonwood Enterprise Zone and Retail Park … see … Image A World War 1 Memorial, listing the names of all the Cortonwood Colliery Miners who enlisted for service, and (sadly) confirming those who died during service, was sited and dedicated in 1919, outside the Colliery Offices part way along this Lane. This was moved in 1985 - following the closure of the Colliery - and placed opposite the Cortonwood Miner's Welfare Club. It was re-dedicated in 1986 See also … Image

For full information about his historic Lane … see … Image The front of the houses on the left can be seen in … Image

Tipped over a wall at the top of the bank.

The Trail here is on a path beside the new A6195 road and adjacent to the Barnsley/Rotherham boundary.

The viaduct also crosses the Dearne Valley Parkway [A6195].