North Selby Mine

The Selby complex of coal mines was the last big development in the UK coal industry. North Selby Mine was one of five which made up part the £100m Selby Coalfield Complex, which also included Wistow Mine, Stillingfleet Coal Colliery, Riccall Mine, Whitemoor Mine and Gascoigne Wood Mine. The five deep mines spanned a 20 mile radius and were linked underground.

The site opened in 1988 as part of a 20-year project to create one of the world's biggest deep-pit mining complexes. North Selby Mine’s two shafts were completed to a depth of 1046m in 1988 and then mining began in 1991.

The primary purpose of the North Selby Mine was to supply coal for electrical power generation, with coal it produced prepared and sent to Drax, Eggborough and other major power stations in the country.

The mines were acquired by RJB Mining in 1997 after the 1995 privatisation of the coal industry; loss of subsidy, geological problems, and low UK coal prices made the pits unprofitable by the 21st century. Closure was announced in 2002, and mining completely ceased by 2004