Four Lane End Colliery


Situated in the heart of Shibden Dale just a short distance from the centre of Halifax is the site of Four Lane End Colliery. As the name suggests it stands at the junction of four roads. Very little is known about this pit other than the mine was owned by John Crawthra and was 55 yards deep to the Hard Bed Coal. It was however the scene of tragedy when on May 12th 1870 Thomas Crawthra age 26 and his brother Alfred age 15 the owners two sons fell to the bottom of the shaft when a rope broke.
This appears to have been a small family run mine and the shaft was wound by a horse gin. The curved wall which surrounded the gin circle protecting the horse from the weather still survives.