 A shaft was begun at Shireoaks in March 1854, and by February 1859, had reached a coal seam.Although the colliery was situated adjacent to the main line of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway, an agreement was reached with the railway company, as owners of the Chesterfield Canal, for a short link to serve the colliery and to ship coal to the River Trent at West Stockwith.Shireoaks Basin opened soon afterwards, and coal was shipped to Stockwith until 1949.