Emley ironstone

There are several areas of mining for ironstone still visible in the Emley area of West Yorkshire. Those featured in this panorama lie to the south of Woodhouse Lane and Bentley Grange Farm. The earliest workings are thought to be the monks from the Abbey of Byland in North Yorkshire who established a furnace adjacent to Bank Wood. By the mid 15th century this appears to have ceased and it was not until the late 16th century that the Wentworth family exploited the Tankersley ironstone bed in this area. These remains are most likely from this latter period. In the 1950s much of the surrounding area was opencast mined for coal and the ironstone remains lost. This surviving area is now a scheduled ancient monument. Other pits can be found in Bank Wood and in fields to the west of the wood.