Former miners remember history at new memorial in Doncaster pit village.

The community of Armthorpe has pulled together to create the structure at what was once the pit head, between the shafts of Markham Main Colliery.

Markham Main closed back in 1996, 80 years after it first opened, and has since been re-developed into a major housing estate.

But those who worked there gathered at the weekend for a dedication and blessing ceremony for the memorial which as been around a year in the planning.

Local firms and organisations have contributed to the structure.

Armthorpe construction firm boss Steve Mosby agreed to build the memorial without charge, while the Co-op provided a granite block at the centre of the memorial. They were among a number or organisations to be involved.

Doncaster Council and Armthorpe Parish Council contributed to fees that were involved in the memorial and Armthorpe Academy was involved in the construction process.

Former miner Dennis Nowell, who has campaigned for the construction of the memorial, was among those at the dedication, an event which saw a flag flown at half mast in memory of two former miners who have died recently, Mick Hopkinson and Steve Hughes.

Mr Nowell, who worked at Markham Main himself, said: "We started thinking about having a memorial on the site about a year ago, and now we've done it - the people of Armthorpe have done it. There had been talk about putting something there in the past.

"It was an emotional day, hearing speeches from Chris Skidmore, of the National Union of Mineworkers, and Jimmy Miller, who was a union official at the pit."

The inscription on the memorial states: "Though the wheel has stopped turning and the sun has set low, we remember the many who toiled above and below."

The new memorial is located next to Twigg Crescent on the estate.

It is the second memorial to the industry to be built in Armthorpe.

The village already had a memorial in its centre, next to Church Street, which has been the venue for the annual Markham Main Miners Memorial Service.