Scaitcliffe Colliery, Accrington

The original Scaitcliffe Colliery was sunk by George Hargreaves & Co in 1859 and abandoned in 1883. In 1890-91 two 540 ft deep shafts were sunk to the Lower Mountain Mine which averaged 26 inches thick. Most of the output went to Altham Coke Works. The workings were towards Accrington town centre and pillars of coal had to be left to support buildings such as the Town Hall. At closure in 1962 the pit employed 62 men underground and 14 on the surface.