Woolley Grange: what to know before moving day
Woolley Colliery was sunk in 1869 and grew into one of the largest pits in Yorkshire, employing nearly 2,000 people in 1980; Arthur Scargill started work there in 1953. It closed in 1987 and the buildings were demolished in 1993, and the estate was built on the cleared land. Several streets are named after sculptors, among them Hepworth Close, Goldsworthy Way and Henry Moore Court, alongside Mobray Drive, Woodlands Court, Knoll Mews and Heathcote Close.
The old pit village of Woolley Colliery, with its two long stone terraces of the 1860s, is next door but across the boundary in Barnsley's Darton East ward. Schools and shops are in Darton and Staincross, and the nearest bus stop is in the colliery village. Windhill Wood is at the edge of the estate, and the River Dearne and the railway run close by. Further building on the old colliery land was opposed by residents in 2023, partly to protect a colony of small blue butterflies.
How the van gets to Woolley Grange
The Grange is the estate's spine road: to the north-east it meets Woolley Edge Lane, and to the south it becomes Woolley Colliery Road, running into the old pit village past Top Row and Low Row. The M1 passes just west of the estate, and the nearest motorway junction is 38, at Haigh, where the M1 meets the A637.
The drive from Bradford is roughly 40 to 55 minutes. That is an estimate from route data, not a timed run, and traffic changes it.
Services for Woolley Grange
Each service below links to its Ossett page, which covers how the job works in and around Ossett.
Woolley Grange: questions before you book
Why does Woolley Grange have a Barnsley postcode if it is in Wakefield?
Postcode areas do not follow council boundaries. The official postcode lookup puts S75 5GX in Woolley parish, Wakefield Rural ward and the Wakefield district, so council tax and bins go through Wakefield Council even though the post town is Barnsley. Wikipedia notes plans to bring the estate into Barnsley, so check the latest position with the council.
Where the local details on this page come from
Checked on 28 September 2026 against:
- Postcode lookup (postcodes.io, ONS data): S75 5GX is in Wakefield Rural ward, parish of Woolley, Wakefield district
- Woolley Colliery (Wikipedia, the target of the Woolley Grange redirect): colliery established 1869, 1,514 underground and 428 surface workers in 1980, one of the largest pits in Yorkshire; Arthur Scargill started in 1953; closed 1987, buildings demolished 1993; Woolley Grange housing on the cleared site in the City of Wakefield; pit village with two long 1860s stone terraces in Barnsley's Darton East ward; amenities in Darton and Staincross; nearest bus stop in the colliery village; 2023 opposition to further housing, small blue butterflies; plans to integrate the estate into Barnsley
- Woolley, West Yorkshire (Wikipedia): village and parish on the West and South Yorkshire border; Woolley Colliery village and Woolley Grange two miles south-west; the M1 about 2 miles west of the village; River Dearne as the county boundary
- M1 motorway (Wikipedia): junction 38 at Haigh, A637 to Huddersfield
- OpenStreetMap map view (checked 2026-09-28): The Grange, Woolley Edge Lane, Woolley Colliery Road, Top Row, Low Row, Mobray Drive, Woodlands Court, Knoll Mews, Heathcote Close, Hepworth Close, Goldsworthy Way, Henry Moore Court, Windhill Wood, River Dearne, Hallam Line, M1