Bilsthorpe Heritage Museum

The pit at Bilsthorpe in Nottinghamshire had a relatively short life. It was opened in the late 1920s and the farming hamlet of 200 people was transformed into a lively pit village. It was closed in 1997, no doubt, with all the distressing effects for its inhabitants that typified that ignominious time, politically.

The railways in this area were largely built to serve the needs of the coal industry. Bilsthorpe colliery lay between two pre-existing east-west routes. The former Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway had become part of the London North Eastern Railway by the time the pit was sunk. To the south was the ex-Midland Railway from Mansfield to Southwell, which was by then part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway.

The route west from Bilsthorpe colliery to Mansfield Concentration Sidings was opened to help with the sinking of the pit itself in 1925 and it operated until 1997. The seven-mile stretch of the Mid-Notts Joint Line [LNER/LMS], built in 1931 to connect Ollerton to Farnsfield, closed between Bilsthorpe and Farnsfield in 1962.

Since the demise of the pits, all the tracks south of Ollerton have been removed. Between Bilsthorpe and Southwell, the Southwell Trail is a well-used local amenity, as is the more recent section west from Bilsthorpe - the Bilsthorpe Leisure Trail - which threads through the southern edge of Clipstone Forest.   

To maintain the links with the past and preserve artefacts and memorabilia that had survived from the coal mining era, Bilsthorpe Heritage Museum opened in 2014, supported by a network of enthusiastic local volunteers. Though the museum highlights the importance of coal mining, it certainly does not ignore the area’s farming history or the impact of two world wars.

I have never received a warmer welcome in any museum or heritage centre anywhere. Offered cups of tea before we had fully crossed the threshold, we enjoyed a fascinating hour or two in the company of our personal tour guide - a former mine worker, of course, who knew the business inside out and related his stories as though it was yesterday. The museum relies on donations from visitors to keep going, as entry to the museum is free. Opening times are shown on their website at www.bilsthorpemuseum.co.uk

It is a shining example of a community project that is rightly proud of its past. It also shows what is possible when a group of local residents are determined to ensure that the contribution that they made to our industrial well-being reaches as wide an audience as possible. I fully recommend a visit.