COAL Cotgrave colliery was opened in1961 and labelled as one of the National Coal Board’s super pits for Britain, anticipating output well into the 21st C. The facilities it offered to mineworkers were exceptional and drew many miners from closed pits in the North of England to settle in Cotgrave and the surrounding area. Production ceased in 1991 partly owing to the remaining coal not being of good enough quality and also some geological faults which had been encountered. The Cotgrave Country Park was developed by Nottingham County Council in the1990s and the whole area, some 400 acres, has been landscaped with lakes and trees with the Grantham Canal along it’s South West 7border. Further exploration for coal was started in the Vale of Belvoir in 1974 and after drilling numerous boreholes and carrying out seismic surveys it was estimated that a coal reserve in the order of 510 million tons had been found. The National Coal Board considered three possible sites, Hose, Saltby and Asfordby. There was serious opposition to coal extraction from the outset based on the environmental impact such a development would cause. Housing for 3-4000 extra mineworkers, social development, local infrastructure and siting of spoil heaps were all serious issues and couldn’t be ignored let alone the impact on such a beautiful area. Hose and Saltby were ruled our as they were agricultural areas but Asfordby had Holwell Works, an iron foundry, nearby and was considered to be south of the Vale proper. Preparatory work for a ‘super pit’ began at Asfordby Hill in 1984 and the main building work commenced in 1986. Two deep shafts were sunk into the coal seams and production commenced in 1991. The site was taken over by RJB Mining in 1994 when British Coal was wound up. However production continued until 1997 when extensive flooding and a rockfall forced the closure in August that year. An overall investment of £340 million pounds had been poured into the project which, at its peak employed only 490 personnel, most of whom were from outside the area. Maybe a contributing factor for the closure was the falling price of coal. The two distinctive Koepe winding towers and surface gear were demolished in 1998 leaving the site derelict until a business park was built in 2007. Ventilation shafts to the underground workings are still obvious in the area.

GYPSUM Gypsum is a naturally occurring rock which, when ground to a powder and heated, loses most of its moisture. Then, when mixed with water, it forms a paste or 'slurry' which sets solid. This simple discovery has made gypsum one of the most useful and versatile building materials and forms the basis of a huge industry producing a wide range of building and medical products. In the Midlands there is a wide belt of gypsum stretching from Uttoxeter to Newark, which has been mined since Roman times. Mr Heaselden, of Cropwell Bishop, is credited with starting gypsum mining operations as, in the local trade directory for 1912, he is listed as a gypsum manufacturer. About 75% of gypsum is used in plasters and plasterboard, and 20% in cement. The remainder, which comprises high quality gypsum found only in Nottinghamshire, is very white and had many specialist uses including being used in the manufacture of medicinal pills, brewing, plaster of Paris, ceramics, paint, dentistry and food. The British Gypsum Company began open quarrying for the rock in 1951and the underground mines under the canal ceased to operate.