The Future


An area adjacent to the park, formally Pit House West Opencast Site, is currently being considered for development to provide complementary recreation and conservation opportunities to Rother Valley.

The opencast site yielded 1.5 million tonnes of coal during its working life between 1989 and 1994, 300 000 tonnes of which came from reworking the massive spoil heaps left by the former Brookhouse Colliery. The rest came from the working of 9 seams ranging from 0.1 to 1.3 metres thick. When the coaling was complete another 12 months were spent completing the landscaping of the site.

during opencasting


Today the site has been extensively planted, half the area is covered in trees which form a Core Area of the South Yorkshire Community Forest. Much of the surrounding land can be used for grazing, and the area is currently being managed for recreation, environmental education and conservation until development takes place.

As well as the woodland itself the area contains a watercourse, the Pigeon Bridge Brook, that for many years had existed in an underground culvert. This has been restored to its natural form as an open stream that flows through the site, feeding a series of ponds and wetlands, attracting more wildlife.

after opencasting


There is currently no vehicle access on to Pit House West, however visitors are welcome to explore this area on foot using the extensive network of footpaths that crisscross the site.