South Elmsall History
South Elmsall is a small town to the east of Hemsworth in the City of Wakefield district of Yorkshire. It is on the B6422 and B6474 (which leads to North Elmsall and Upton). It neighbours South Kirkby, and the two towns are often grouped together as one town. It is difficult to know where one stops and the other begins. The A638 Doncaster - Wakefield road runs close to the north of the town, which leads to junction 38 of the A1 (M) about three miles to the south-east.
Coal mining and sport
The town is most famous for its coal-mining past; it was the site of Frickley Colliery, which was one of the largest in the whole country and a key source of union radicalism. During the UK Miners' Strike (1984-1985), there were numerous disturbances in the area. On one occasion, four hundred police were deployed to escort two miners to work even though, with the coalfield at a standstill and mining being a collective endeavour, there was no productive work to do. The colliery was closed on 26th November, 1993 - following closures of nearby pits like Ferrymoor-Riddings (1985), Kingsley (1986), South Kirkby (1988) and Grimethorpe (1992).and the area was long one of the most depressed areas of the whole European Union, although fortunes have improved recently.
The town hosts a number of key landmarks that have a place in the wider history of the labour movement in the UK. In addition to the coal mine, the Miner's Institute served as a nerve centre during the strikes of the 1970s and 1980s. The Moorthorpe Empire WMC played a key role in the exchange of ideas, the maintenance of morale and the harnessing of community spirit during 1984. During this period, the Empire became a place for the celebration and socialising. Several clubs in the area still bear the colliery's name. There is Frickley Colliery Brass Band, a football team named Frickley Athletic and a cricket club named "Frickley". Frickley Athletic now plays in the UniBond Premier Division and nearly gained promotion in 2006. The club was formed in 1910 and played initially in the Sheffield Association. In 1924 the club joined the midland League until 1960. They moved to the Cheshire county League till 1970. They then moved back to the reformed midlands county league in 1970. They finished runners up in 1971-1972. And after winning the league cup in 1976 they were accepted into the Northern Premier League. This was only a short stay as in 1979-1980 Frickley finished 3rd and were given permission to join the Alliance League now know as the Nationwide Conference. Picture taken in 1986.
In season 1985-86 the 'Blues' had their most successful season ever when they defeated a Football League side for the first time when beating Hartlepool 1-0 away in the 2nd Round Proper of F.A. Cup. History was also made as it was the first time the club had reached the Third Round Proper.
Frickley Colliery 1924.
Local economy
The market is a central feature of the village; it is currently undergoing renovations. The market plays host to approximately 105 trading stalls. It has a train station on the Wakefield line. Towards South Kirkby is Moorthorpe railway station on the line to Sheffield and Rotherham.
There is also the High Street (Barnsley Road) which includes many common high street names such as Superdrug, Blockbusters, Greggs, Heron, Vantage pharmacy and also many other individual shops such as The Paint Pot, The Jewellery Centre, Allstar Team wear, Dennis Price carpets and Pebbles school wear among many others. The discount supermarket chain Netto has its British headquarters on Elmsall Way in the village on the Dale Lane Industrial Estate. There is a Co-op on Barnsley Road in Moorthorpe t
South Elmsall, is home to warehouses belonging to Superdrug and Next.
Education
The local secondary school is Minsthorpe Community College which has a sixth-form and is for South Kirkby and Upton as well. In general, secondary schools in the Wakefield district (except Castleford and Normanton) achieve quite reasonable results, and Minsthorpe is not an exception. People who have an association with Minsthorpe include playwright John Godber and football entrepreneur David Aisbit. There are also various primary schools in the location they are Carlton, Moorthorpe, Ash grove and St Josephs in the South Elmsall area alone they're many more in the neighbouring towns of South Kirkby and Upton. South Elmsall library houses the UK's largest collection of Bobby Brewster novellas. [Citation needed]
External links
· Frickley Colliery Brass Band
· Hemsworth and South Elmsall Express
· Minsthorpe Community College