Shirley Moore, former Chair of Edwinstowe Historical Society, had always believed that there should be a memorial to the men who lost their lives working at Thoresby Colliery. This was discussed with the Revd Claire Melless, vicar of St Mary’s Church, who agreed to hold a commemoration service to mark ten years since the colliery closed and 100 years since it opened, as well as to remember all those who worked at the colliery and those who lost their lives there.
The service was held on Sunday 13th July. The Thoresby Colliery Band, under the leadership of Stan Lippeatt, accompanied the hymn singing, and Tom Stanforth shared colliery memories with the congregation. Darren Martin and Trevor Baker read out the names of the men who lost their lives at the colliery, for whom candles were lit in their memory. Bible readings were delivered by Olwen Hawkes and Molly Wright. Terry Wheatley and David Betts, both former colliery managers at Thoresby Colliery, were among the congregation, which included former miners, their families, and friends, all of whom were invited to sign the Book of Remembrance placed in church. A recording of the event was televised on East Midlands Today later that evening.
Located in the heart of Sherwood Forest, Thoresby Colliery was the last Nottinghamshire colliery to be sunk by the former Bolsover Colliery Company between 1925 and 1928, and it was the first pit in the country to be built with electric winding – the first pit without a smoking chimney.
In 1951, Thoresby became the first nationalised mine to exceed an output of one million tons in a year. One of the most productive and profitable coal mines in Europe for many years, in 1988 it went on to produce two million tons in 43 working weeks.
On Friday 10th July 2015, Thoresby was the last mine to close in the Nottinghamshire coalfield. It marked the end of an era for the coal mine, sunk among the birches of Sherwood Forest and known as a record-breaking ‘Jewel in the Crown’.
The next meeting of the Edwinstowe Historical Society will take place on Wednesday 17th September at 2.00pm, when Mo Cooper’s talk is entitled The Clergyman, the Widow and the Milkman – an exploration of Nottingham’s Edwardian Landlords.
Meetings are held in the Church Rooms, Mansfield Road, Edwinstowe NG21 9NJ, on the third Wednesday of the month, starting at 2.00pm and lasting for approximately two hours. Tea / coffee and biscuits are available.
The annual subscription is £15.00, and visitors are welcome at a charge of £3.00. More information is available on the website http://www.edwinstowehistory.org.uk, and enquiries may be made to EdwinstoweHistorySoc@gmail.com.