The Yorkshire Film Archive collects, preserves, and shows film made in, or about Yorkshire. Our collections are non-fiction, dating from the 1890s to the present day, and providing a rich and visually compelling record of all aspects of lives, cultures, landscape, industries, major events and everyday activities, many of which are available to watch, free of charge, on our website.
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Easter Mission to Denaby
Denaby, a quintessential industrial village, is visited by Mexborough School students.
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Overview
Looming collieries, red bricked alleys and terraced housing present an archetypal snapshot of the coal mining community in a place once known as ‘Denaby Main Colliery Village.’ Whilst students embark on their project, knocking on doors and handing out leaflets, the teacher’s film shows an active industrial landscape - only a few years before the village’s dramatic rebuild.
Built for purpose, Denaby, located between Rotherham and Doncaster, was a working settlement, establishing its reputation as a coal village since the 1860s. Two collieries were at the heart of the area; Denaby Main and neighbouring Cadeby Main. Despite the major mining incident at Cadeby in 1912, Denaby colliery shut its doors earlier in 1968. The closure was a potent signal of the industry’s decline and in the same year, the village underwent a major re-building process. Moving away from its industrial past, terraced houses were demolished, making space for modern housing.
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