Over grown spoil heap, now the last trace of Cortonwood Colliery. Taylor (2001, 118) dates Cortonwood back to the 1873 sinking of a shaft to the Barnsley seam. However a 'Cortwood' Colliery is depicted on this site on the 1855 6 inch OS mapping. The announcement of the closure of Cortonwood on March 1st 1984 (http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/12/newsid_2540000/2540175.stm) led directly to the 'Great Strike' led by the National Union of Mineworkers between 12th March 1984 and 3rd March 1985. The mine closed in 1985 with the loss of 800 jobs. Significant legibility of the mine which led to the growth of the local urban communities during the 20th century. Historically important site in the history of the British labour movement. Pit head buildings cleared by 1989.