Hapton valley pit once it employed 480 miners, now it stands deserted
It was a very sad scene as the final three men emerged from the pit at Hapton Valley Colliery for the last time. The final shift finished at 11 am last Friday and with it over 60 years of mining came to an end at Hapton Valley. Sixteen men will be stopping on at the pit to carry on work until August 21st but the looks on the faces of the men told the story that it was the end of an era. The last three miners still continuing salvage work on Friday were Mr. Bob McMenemy, Mr. Barry Eatough and Mr. Cyril Huxley. Production actually stopped on April 26th but for these three men the real end came at 11 am when they were winched out of the shaft. Although every miner was offered a job at another colliery Mr. McMenemy has decided to call it a day as has Mr. Eatough. Mr. Huxley, of Hebden Bridge, has accepted a job at a pit in Manchester. Mining in Burnley also finished with the three men. Only a small private pit in Cliviger continues to mine coal. Hapton Valley had its share of ups and downs. In March 1962 it was the scene of a tragic accident caused by an explosion which killed 19 miners and injured 22 others. Between 1978 and 1979 the pit produced its best ever amount of coal, 237,425 tonnes.