Independent numbers for the workforce are not available for 1923, when the Colliery Year Book showed a joint figure for Steetley and Shireoaks, but in 1933, there were 460 men working underground, and the number of surface workers was the same as in 1896. H J Atkinson was the manager in both years, and again, was also responsible for Whitwell. In 1940, the number underground had decreased to 440, but those working on the surface had increased to 80, and Steetley now had its own manager, in J A Barrass. The trend continued in 1947, with a drop to 403 men underground and 83 surface workers. The manager was now L L Harrison, who had previously been the manager at Whitwell in 1940. At peak production the colliery workforce could produce up to 33,000 tonnes of coal each year. Individual coal seams were used for different purposes: the Top Hard Seam was one of the most famous in the world due to its high commercial value, while the High Hazel Seam, mined from 1956 to 1983, supplied good quality domestic fuel. Nationalisation In 1945, the Shireoaks Colliery Company was sold to United Steel Companies and on nationalisation came under the control of the National Coal Board (NCB). Together with Shireoaks, Steetley Colliery became part of the North East Division Number One Area of the NCB. Both pits were transferred to the South Yorkshire Area in March 1967, and were amalgamated in March 1983. This resulted in the closure of the surface works at Steetley, and all coal was brought up through the Shireoaks shafts. Reorganisation resulted in Shireoaks becoming part of the South Yorkshire Group in April 1990, but this was short-lived, as it closed in May. By the time the Steetley colliery was sunk, the area was also occupied by several large farms and a limestone quarry that had operated on and off for centuries. The nearby Steetley Chapel, built around 1150, is constructed of local stone from the quarry. Steetley quarry closed in the 1960s. The colliery site is in the process of being redeveloped by construction company Laing O'Rourke as an industrial complex known as Explore Industrial Park. Bibliography References External links Regeneration project website for Steetley Coal mines in Nottinghamshire 1983 disestablishments Underground mines in England