Ryhope Colliery, located to the north-west of Ryhope, was opened in 1857 and is recorded as being owned by Lord Londonderry, and then from the 1880s by Ryhope Coal Co. Ltd. Miner's houses and a colliery school were built near the colliery. At its peak in 1930, 2,591 men and boys were employed at Ryhope Colliery (2,162 working below ground, 429 on the surface). A colliery village was built to the west of Ryhope, with houses for miners and their families and its own school. Ryhope Colliery has been closed on the 25th of November, 1966. Today the winding wheel serves as a monument to the colliery.