History of The Cottage, Silkstone, South Yorkshire

This distinctive holiday cottage near the Peak District has a centuries-old history. The cottage is built on Silkstone Cross and, together with the Waggonway, remains one of the few visible links in Silkstone village to the coal mining industry. It was constructed in the early to mid-1800s as offices for the nearby Cross Pit, which was located behind The Cottage, now the Recreation Ground. Two mine shafts of Cross Pit, situated where the Trim Trail now lies, were capped in recent memory. The Cross Pit closed in the mid-1890s, and all structures except the offices (The Cottage) have since been demolished.

The exact date of The Cottage's construction is unknown, but it was built after 1829, as a map from that year does not show the cottage, whereas it is visible on a later map dated 1842.

An Act of Parliament in 1808 authorised the construction of the waggonway from Silkstone Cross to the canal basin at Barnby, and construction began in 1809. Many original stone sleepers installed at this time remain in place along the waggonway route. The waggonway and traffic on the canal began to decline when the new railway line was opened through Silkstone Common in 1852, and by Aug 1872, it was reported that all the rails of the waggonway had been removed.

A single-track railway (waggonway) was constructed by the colliery owner Robert Couldwell Clarke of Noblethorpe Hall, running opposite The Cottage. The waggons were pulled by horses, and a modern-day representation of the waggons has been recreated opposite The Cottage.

This historic Old Tommy Shop, now known as The Cottage, has a story with roots in South Yorkshire’s mining heritage. The Tommy Shop was where miners purchased goods from a store operated by the colliery owners. This system allowed purchases on credit, with the charges deducted from miners’ wages. Tommy means bread or a penny roll, or the food taken by a workman in his handkerchief; it also means goods in lieu of money.

By the 1930s, the cottage was partly used as a doctor’s surgery. It was sold in 1939 as part of the disposal of the Noblethorpe Estate, with three cottages at Silkstone Cross selling for £300. In the late 1950s or early 1960s, part of the cottage was occupied by the Oakden family, and some upstairs rooms served as a surgery. Both Doctor Sandy and Doctor Walker held surgeries there, though they were based at the Huddersfield Road, Barnsley Practice. Patients waited in the hallway at the bottom of the stairs, just inside the front door, before being called upstairs to see the doctors.

This detached 19th-century cottage has now been lovingly refurbished by its local owner into a cosy, eclectic holiday cottage for families, friends, walkers, dog walkers, and cyclists.

To book your self-catering holiday cottage near the Peak District, call Liz directly on 07552 128054, or to check availability, click here.