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Jubilee Colliery circa 1900

Although the shaft passed through two higher coal seams, these were of inferior quality to the Mountain Mine coal. Jubilee was one of the major mines of the area, but there were dozens of smaller ones. When mining ceased, the tunnels flooded and a huge underground reservoir developed. It is thought to stretch from Sholver in the south to Hollingworth Lake in the north, with a volume of about a thousand million gallons, and water is still pumped out near Milnrow and used in the public water supply.

Although many parts of what was once an important local colliery are no longer visible, enough remains to remind us of the site's history and help us to imagine how the working colliery must have appeared.

Since the colliery closed, nature has moved back into the site. Trees, ferns, mosses, fungi and flowers have colonised the colliery remains and rubble, in turn attracting local wildlife to the area, so that Jubilee is now a doubly fascinating place to visit - to browse quietly or enjoy a picnic. Additional information on Jubilee Colliery can be obtained from Groundwork Oldham & Rochdale, and on Jubilee and local coal mining from Oldham Local Studies Centre.