[VIDEO] Explosives Demolish Yorkshire Mining Tower

The tower at the South Yorkshire coal mine is no more.

Situated in England’s Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, the Yorkshire coal mine has been in existence since 1914. At its peak, the mine was capable of producing more than one million tons of coal a year.

The mine, which was decommissioned in 2013, was brought down last week by a controlled explosion. Ex-miners and surface workers gathered to see the 78-meter high building reduced to rubble.

“It was very hot working 1,000 meters underground but we had good camaraderie and I made a lot of friends here,” said one of the spectators. “I saw the tower go up in the 80s and now I’ve seen it come down - it’s sad to see Maltby’s mining past disappearing.”

He added, “I have many memories of the colliery - some good, some bad. Going down the pit was one of the best things I did though as I got a good deal when we were made redundant.”