A Glasshouse was set up in Silkstone in the mid 17th century by the Pilmey family which migrated from France in the mid 16th century to work in a Glasshouse in Manchester. The Plimeys were first recorded in Silkstone in 1658 and the Glasshouse is known to be in operation by 1659. There were two glasshouses on the site producing different types of glass. By 1707 only one Glasshouse remained and by 1748 the site had ceased production (Dungworth et al 2006, 160-162). (see Ashurst 1992 for history of South Yorkshire glass) By 1754 a pottery had been established on the site it is known to be manufacturing up to 1821 (Lawrence 1974,144). There are good underground remains of the Glasshouses and pottery on the site (see Centre for Archaeology Reports). The legibility of the industrial complexes is only fragmentary as most of the buildings were cleared in 1964 for the nursery but there are some upstanding buildings related to the pottery. Prior to the glasshouse this area was probably part of the enclosed fields around Silkstone village there is a slight suggestion of reverse s shaped boundaries indicating they may have been farmed in strips.