THE BOLSOVER COLLIERY COMPANY
Founded 1889
 
 

The founder of the Bolsover Colliery Company was
Emerson Muschamp Bainbridge,
Born Northumberland 1845 - Died London 1911
 
 

In 1889 Emerson M. Bainbridge, obtained from the Duke of Portland a lease for the Tophard or Barnsley coal, under areas of land in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. He then founded the Bolsover Colliery Company to take over the lease, and to mine the coal.

Bolsover Colliery, was the first of the new coal mines to be sunk, Creswell was the second.
In 1899, a further lease was obtained from the Duke of Portland enabling the Bolsover Colliery Company to plan sinking operations for its first Nottinghamshire Colliery. This was names the Mansfield Colliery Company, but soon became known as Crown Farm Colliery or 'Crownie' It is the colliery associated with  Forest Town .


The Bolsover Colliery Company continued its mining development in Nottinghamshire by sinking three more coal mines, Rufford, Clipstone and Thoresby. To do this leases were obtained from Earl Manvers, and Lord Saville.
 
 

The Bolsover Colliery Company
sank and developed six collieries:

COLLIERY

COUNTY

YEAR COAL REACHED

Bolsover

Derbyshire

1891

Creswell

Derbyshire

1896

Mansfield (Crown Farm)

Nottinghamshire

1905

Rufford

Nottinghamshire

1913

Clipstone

Nottinghamshire

1922

Thoresby

Nottinghamshire

1928

One eminent man who played an important part of the early development of the Bolsover Colliery Company was the first General Manager of the Company:

John Plowright Houfton
1857 - 1929
It was under his direction that the first collieries were sunk,
and associated villages for the miners and their families built.

He moved from Bolsover to Mansfield in 1909
Throughout his life he held numerous civic posts including that of Mayor of Mansfield 1912.
His final honour was in 1929
when he was knighted in the Kings Birthday List.
Sir John Plowright Houfton died later the same year.

 

MANSFIELD 'CROWN FARM' COLLIERY
Sinking at the Colliery started in 1904, coal was eventually reached in May 1905. Throughout the next 83 years the colliery dominated the lives of many local families.

The community was devastated when Mansfield Colliery closed in 1988. For a number of years, the spoil heap (pit tip) which was covered with mature trees, grasses and plants, the habitat of many species of wildlife remained, it was known to local people as 'Mount Crownie'.

 

Today (September 2008) the 'Mount Crownie' has gone, plans were approved to extract coal from the tip, and in doing so removed the spoil heap, along with all its trees and wildlife.

This landmark that was virtually the last visual evidence of Mansfield Colliery has now gone.
Albeit a number of the colliery buildings have been re-used as part of the
Crown Farm Industrial Estate.

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