Pleasley Colliery

Pleasley Colliery is a former coal mine in central England. It is located to the north-west of Pleasley village, which sits above the north bank of the River Meden on the Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire border. It lies 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Mansfield and 9 miles (14.5 km) south of Chesterfield. From the south it commands a prominent position on the skyline, although less so now than when the winders were in operation and both chimney stacks were in place. The colliery is situated at about 500 ft (152m) above sea level and is aligned on a NE–SW axis following the trend of the river valley at this point. After closure of the colliery in 1983, most of the surface infrastructure was demolished and what remains are the two headstocks which stood above the shafts, the engine-house complex, containing the two steam winders which were used to raise the coal, one dating from 1905 and the other from 1922, and one of the 40 m high brick chimneys which served the steam boiler range. The engine-house complex is a Grade II listed building and the site has been scheduled as an Ancient Monument. The site is owned and managed by the Land Trust and the licensed occupiers are the Friends of Pleasley Pit restoration group who set the wheels in motion to ensure the preservation of the site and have been responsible for the renovation the two unique steam winders. The parent organisation of the Friends is the Pleasley Pit Trust, a registered charity, which is undertaking the transformation of the site into a mining heritage centre. The old pit tip was reworked to extract residual coal, after which it was landscaped to create a nature reserve consisting of footpaths and lakes. The two adjacent railway lines were part of an extensive network serving the Nottinghamshire–Derbyshire coal field and the disused tracks have been converted into cycle trails linking the former collieries to the west and nearby Hardwick Hall.