Thoresby Colliery was a coal mine in north Nottinghamshire on the outskirts of Edwinstowe village. The mine, which opened in 1925, was the last working colliery in Nottinghamshire when it closed in 2015. The site has been cleared and it being redeveloped as a housing estate.
 Thoresby Colliery in February 2007 | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
  Thoresby Colliery Location in Nottinghamshire | |
| Location | Edwinstowe, NG21 9PS |
| County council | Nottinghamshire |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 53°12′00″N 1°03′06″W / 53.2°N 1.0516°W |
| Production | |
| Products | Coal |
| History | |
| Opened | 1925 |
| Closed | 2015 |
| Owner | |
| Company | Harworth Group |
History
editThoresby colliery opened in 1925.[1]
The first two shafts in 1925 were sunk to 690 metres (2,260 ft). The shafts were deepened by 109 metres (358 ft) in the 1950s. After privatisation of the National Coal Board in the 1990s the mine was taken over by RJB Mining[1] (later UK Coal as UK Coal Thoresby Ltd).
Coal seams worked by, or available to, the pit included the Top Hard seam, the Parkgate seam (after closure of Ollerton Colliery in 1994); the Deep Soft seam; and the High Hazels seam (working ceased 1983).[1] In a 2009 underground visit, Roger Helmer, then a European MP in the East Midlands region, stated he hoped the newly developed Deep Soft resource would provide coal extraction for a further ten years.[2]
In April 2014 it was announced that the pit would close by July 2015.[3] The colliery's 600 employees had been reduced to 360 by the time of the closure in July 2015.[4] At the time of closure, Thoresby was one of the two last remaining deep-mined coal sources owned by UK Coal, together with Kellingley which closed soon after.[5]
In 2015, the Thoresby Colliery Benevolent Fund, established in 1951, was wound up with £56,000 surplus which was distributed to five different local charities.[6]
Redevelopment
editThe site is being reclaimed and redeveloped by Harworth Group, with a ten-year plan into housing and associated infrastructure, named Thoresby Vale, Edwinstowe. Initial plans were to include a country park and with five acres set aside for a primary school. Local MP Mark Spencer mentioned that provision was also needed for a doctors' surgery, and hoped that section 106 monies could be used to upgrade the nearby traffic island and establish a passenger rail service extension to the Robin Hood Line.[5][7][8][9][10][11][12]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Thoresby Colliery". www.minersadvice.co.uk. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
- ^ "Why I am excited by coal". Chad, 9 September 2009, p.24. Accessed 22 April 2024
- ^ Britton, Alex (16 May 2015), "Thoresby Colliery to close in July with loss of 600 jobs", www.nottinghampost.com, archived from the original on 13 October 2015
- ^ Nottinghamshire's Thoresby Colliery closes after 90 years, 10 July 2015
- ^ a b Multi-million pound plan for pit site. Chad, 27 July 2016, pp.6-7. Accessed 5 July 2021
- ^ "Wound up pit fund to donate £56K to charity", Chad, 14 October 2015, p.14. Accessed 20 September 2021
- ^ Thoresby Vale Harworth Group. Retrieved 22 June 2021
- ^ Thoresby Colliery transformation well underway as work progresses on hundreds of new homes Nottinghamshire Live, 31 July 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2021
- ^ Work begins on first 143 homes that will transform former Notts colliery Nottinghamshire Live, 4 June 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021
- ^ A614 junction improvements Ollerton Roundabout Nottinghamshire County Council. Retrieved 5 July 2021
- ^ £28m upgrade for 6 junctions on major Nottinghamshire roads given green light Nottinghamshire Live, 8 January 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2021
- ^ Major £24m improvements for Nottinghamshire road used by millions each year Nottinghamshire Live, 26 June 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2021