Nottinghamshire’s last mine shut more than 10 years ago, back in 2015
11:39, 30 Dec 2025Updated 13:18, 03 Jan 2026
An aerial view of the Thoresby Vale housing development (Image: Pegasus Group)
Ten years have passed since Nottinghamshire’s last remaining coal mine closed down and various former pits are currently being transformed into housing developments.
The county has an extensive mining history spanning around 750 years, but this era came to an end with the closure of Thoresby Colliery in 2015, based in Edwinstowe, following the financial difficulties of its owner, UK Coal.
Nottinghamshire’s coalfield was considered one of the most successful in Europe where, at its peak, there were 42 collieries and 40,000 miners.
This is how five of the county’s key former pit sites are being reshaped to meet growing housing demand.
Clipstone Colliery
The headstocks and powerhouse at the site of the former Clipstone Colliery in Clipstone, Nottinghamshire(Image: Joseph Raynor/Reach PLC)
The ex-coal mining village of Clipstone just outside Mansfield was home to one of the top-producing mines in the country.
Clipstone Colliery operated between 1922 and 2003 and was one of the most productive pits in Britain, producing almost a million tonnes of coal a year at its peak in the mid-1980s.
The former pits’ headstocks are listed by Historic England and were the tallest in England at more than 200 feet.
Housing Developer HarperCrewe had its plans to build 126 homes at the site in Mansfield Road formally approved by Newark and Sherwood District Council back in July 2025 where 38 of the properties were originally set to be affordable homes.
But a recent shift has seen all homes now being classed as affordable, with 88 set for social rent and 38 for shared ownership. These will be managed by housing association Platform Housing Group.
Work is now progressing at the colliery and the first homes are expected to be ready by Spring 2026.
The development of the site is part of a wider regeneration of the local area which will see significant investment by Newark & Sherwood District Council in open space, community facilities and sports pitches for the community.
Gedling Colliery
Keepmoat, which delivers around 4,000 new homes every year, has consructed hundreds of new homes at the former Gedling Colliery with Chase Farm and the second Park View phase(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Nottingham Post)
The masterplan for the 1,050-home Chase Farm development on the former Gedling Colliery was first approved eight years ago.
Developer Keepmoat has built hundreds of new homes next to Gedling Country Park, which was created on the spoil tip, after being granted permission by Gedling Borough Council in 2017.
After work started to create the colliery in 1899, coal production followed soon after in 1902 which helped address demand for fossil fuels. Its production peaked after the Second World War, producing over 1,000,000 tonnes of coal each year and employing more than 2,000 people.
The colliery was known as the “Pit of Nations” due to its miners, who were from more than 15 different countries.
It closed in November 1991 and restoration of the site started. In 2015, the 580-acre Gedling Country Park was opened.
Developer Keepmoat recently completed Phase 1b of Chase Farm which saw 135 homes added to the wider site. Construction of Phase 2 is currently underway for 433 homes, with this expected to finish by 2030.
The 210-place primary school that was part of original plans has never been built, with Nottinghamshire County Council saying in 2023 there was no longer any need for it. Instead, the developer was asked to direct its financial contributions for the local area into money for expanding nearby secondary schools.
In July 2025, a planning application was submitted to the council for a pub, drive-thru and three light industrial units to be built off Colliery Way, east of the estate.
Harworth Colliery
The Simpson Park development sign in Main Gate Drive, Bircotes(Image: Google Street View)
Harworth Colliery was a coal mine located in Harworth in the north of the county near the border with South Yorkshire.
Work began on sinking the shaft in 1913 but this was halted due to the First World War. In 1919, work resumed, and by October 1923, the shaft sinkers eventually reached the Barnsley seam.
The mine was opened in 1924 and operated for more than 80 years before it was mothballed in 2006. Works to demolish existing buildings on site finished in 2016 with the Winding Tower being brought down in the April.
This was to make way for the Simpson Park development, named after former world champion cyclist and local resident Tom Simpson.
Simpson Park is the large-scale Harworth Colliery Regeneration Scheme – designed and developed by the Harworth Group – which was given approval in 2021 and where up to 1,300 properties could be built at the former pit.
Various developers will have added their homes to the restored land by the time it is completed, including 71 homes built by Jones Homes, 125 properties built by Kier Living, and 105 built by Harworth Estates Investments.
Two other developers had their housing plans approved by Bassetlaw District Council just before Christmas. Construction on Bellway Homes’ 138 properties can now get started after the council approved the plans for the developments’ appearance and layout and Stonebridge Homes’ scheme for 218 properties was also approved.
Rufford Colliery
The entrance to the former Rufford Colliery site near Rainworth in Nottinghamshire(Image: Joseph Raynor/Nottingham Post)
Located to the north of Rainworth sits the former Rufford Colliery, a former pit in the Newark and Sherwood district that has undergone restoration work in recent years.
Rufford Colliery closed just over 30 years ago, operating from 1911 until 1993 and was a deep mine site.
The Harworth Group, which specialises in reforming large areas of land, has collaborated with Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust and Nottinghamshire County Council over the past decade to restore the wider pit site and establish new wildlife habitats. This was funded through the sale of coal fines and sand extracted from the site.
In October 2025, the developer unveiled proposed plans for 400 homes at the site, along with a data centre, upgrades to the A617 and protection for species and habitats at local wildlife centres.
So far, only an Environmental Impact Assessment scoping opinion request – which asks councils for their opinions on what information needs to be included in a planning application – has been submitted by the developer. However, it plans to submit the formal application for the homes soon. The council provided no objection to the scoping request in early December.
If future plans are approved, it is estimated work could begin in 2027 for a completion by 2030 at the earliest.
The colliery is listed as one of the key investment opportunities across Nottinghamshire by the Invest in Nottingham group.
Thorseby Colliery
The pit head at the former Thoresby Colliery site, near Edwinstowe
The Thoresby Vale development in Edwinstowe has been transforming the former Thoresby Colliery site after the wider site received outline planning permission for an 800-home redevelopment in October 2016.
The scheme was granted full permission by Newark and Sherwood District Council in 2019 for the homes, a primary school, leisure space and commercial facilities.
Now, although much of the development has been completed, an application to expand the site further by an additional 190 homes was approved by the council in October 2025.
After opening in 1925, Thoresby became one of the most profitable coal mines on the continent for many years. In 1951 it became the first nationalised mine to exceed 1,000,000 tonnes of output in one year and in 1988 it produced 2,000,000 tonnes in 43 working weeks.
When it opened, its two shafts sank to a depth of 690 metres, giving access to several of Nottinghamshire’s coal seams. These were deepened in the 1950s and following the closure of Ollerton Colliery in 1993, the renowned pit had access to even more reserves. Thoresby closed in 2015.