A Brief History of Bestwood Colliery 1872-1967
Shaft sinking at Bestwood began in 1872 when twin shafts (a downcast and an upcast shaft) of 13ft diameter and 60 yards apart, were sunk to the Top Hard seam at a depth of 364 yards. Bestwood was one of a number of colliery sinking’s in the older concealed coalfield of the Leen Valley, Nottinghamshire in the 1860’s and 1870’s which included Hucknall Collieries (No. 1 and No. 2) 1861 – 1865, Annesley 1865, Clifton 1868, Linby 1873, Newstead 1874 and Wollaton 1875. Coalmining at Cinderhill, sometimes known as Babbington, (the current day Phoneix Park) began slightly earlier in the early 1840’s.
Bestwood Coal and Iron Co.
Bestwood Colliery was developed by the Lancaster Family on land at Bestwood Park owned by the tenth Duke of St Albans, The Lord of the Manor, who were descendants from Charles II. The Lancaster family had a vested interest in the running of the colliery until the coal industry was nationalised in 1947. The Colliery, and an adjacent iron works, were leased and worked by the Bestwood Coal and Iron Company. A colliery model village was created nearby dating from the late 1870’s.
Fig 3: A colliery horizontal steam winding engine. Photo Credit – MuBu Miner collection
A 500HP steam twin cylinder horizontal winding engine, built by Messrs Nasmyth, Wilson & Co of Patricroft near Manchester, with an 18ft diameter drum, was installed at the upcast shaft. At the downcast shaft a 500 HP steam twin cylinder vertical winding engine, with a 19ft diameter drum, was installed which was built by Messrs Coupe of Wigan, dating from 1876. This winding engine was housed in a Gothic style winding engine house, which along with the vertical winding engine, is an ancient listed monument preserved at the former colliery site. Headstocks at both shafts were of wrought iron lattice work, 70 ft in height. One of the headstocks survives today but with some of the iron lattice work now surrounded by concrete.
Fig 4: Bestwood Coal and Iron Co, 1935 Colliery Year Book and Coal Trades Directory. Source – MuBu Miner collection
Initially coal raising up both shafts was by means of four 11 cwt capacity tubs in each cage on two decks. Later 15cwt tubs were introduced, with two tubs, one on each deck or one two ton minecar. Ventilation for the colliery was initially by means of a 46ft diameter Guibal Fan, later a 500 HP Walker-Macord Axial Flow Fan was installed.
Fig 5: Fleet of Bestwood Coal and Iron Co lorries in the 1930’s. Photo Credit – MuBu Miner collection
Initially production of coal was from the Top Hard seam, a good steam coal, at an average thickness of 5ft 6 inches, which was composed of three main qualities; house coal, steam coal and cannel coal. The Bestwood Coal and Iron Company developed a thriving home coal business, having direct deliveries to over 30,000 customers in the Nottingham area. It included a coal sales department and a fleet of coal lorries. The Top Hard seam was worked more or less continually until 1948.
Fig 6: Colliery Official supervising colliers at the coalface in the early 20th century. Photo Credit – MuBu Miner collection
The Butty System
Initially the ‘little Butty system’ (a sub-contract system) operated in the production of coal. The coal face was split into sections called stalls, and each stall split into a number of stints of around 9 yards each for the collier or hewer to work. In the early years all the coal was manually won, known locally as stinting. One Butty would be in charge of several stalls, perhaps having up to 20 men under his jurisdiction.
During the 1880’s and 1890’s a group of Bestwood Butties gained a notorious reputation because of their corrupt work practices. They became known as the ‘Bestwood Twist Hands’. Many Bestwood miners told stories of having turned up for work and hanging about for hours before being sent home without earning a dime. It was said that the Twist Hands did no manual work but were earning indecent sums of money compared to the hewers; their work was said to warrant only two features; a loud voice and a yard stick!
Fig 7: Underground conveyors for coal (left) and manriding (right). Photo Credit – MuBu Miner collection
Colliery developments 1910-1930’s
Between 1911 and 1917 subsidiaries of the Bestwood Coal and Iron Co were the Askern Coal and Iron Co and Forakay Boring Co Ltd. Like at other local colliery’s, electricity was introduced in the 1920’s which led to the development of a Power House, today known as the Dynamo House, a local community centre. In 1931 3 Phase 3000 volt transformers were introduced underground.
Fig 8: Jib coal cutter circa 1930’s. Photo Credit – MuBu Miner collection
The late 1920’s / early 1930’s saw a major re-organisation at Bestwood; mechanisation was introduced underground and surface alterations included the installation of a new Coal Preparation Plant. In 1932 a mechanised Longwall coalface method of coal production was introduced using coal-cutters (to undercut the coal at the face) with conveyors transporting the coal to the pit bottom. Marsaut safety lamps were used by Bestwood miners for illumination underground until being replaced by electric safety lamps, known as cap-lamps, in the 1940’s.
Fig 9: Postcard of Bestwood Iron Works. Source – MuBu Miner collection
The Iron Works finished production in 1928 and were mothballed for a period of time. In 1936 the Bestwood Company amalgamated with the nearby Babbington Colliery Co and Digby Colliery Co. to form B.A. Collieries Ltd. B.A. stood for Bestwood Amalgamated. In 1937 a new satellite shaft at Calverton was sunk to the Top Hard seam for ventilation and manriding purposes. Bestwood miners travelled there by road transport to work the Top Hard seam as it was quicker than travelling underground. Following nationalisation of the British coal mining industry in 1952 Calverton was developed as a colliery in its own right, remaining in production until 1999.
Fig 10: NCB Production board at Bestwood Colliery in 1953. Photo Credit – MuBu Miner collection
NCB Days at Bestwood Colliery
With the nationalisation of the coal industry in 1947, Bestwood went into the NCB East Midlands Division No.6 Area, whose Area HQ was also at Bestwood. Maximum manpower at Bestwood was in 1948 when 2,294 men produced 825, 853 tons of coal. For most of its working life Bestwood was known as a ‘Big Hitter’, a colliery that constantly produced large tonnages of coal. The first million tons of coal was produced in 1952 and this was achieved for the next ten-years. Highest annual output was 1.13 million tons in 1955.
Fig 11: No.4 Tandem point in the Lancaster Drift at Bestwood Colliery. Photo Credit – MuBu Miner collection
Coal turning up the shafts was mainly eliminated by 1951 when the Lancaster Surface Drift came into use. This was an inclined 1 in 4 roadway that ran from the High Main seam to the surface with coal being brought out by conveyors straight into the Coal Preparation Plant. During this period in the early days of the NCB, the colliery went through a major reorganisation
Fig 12: Norman Siddall at Bestwood Colliery in the late 1940’s. Photo Credit – MuBu Miner collection
Norman Siddall (b 1918) was Colliery Manager at Bestwood from 1947 to 1950, later being Agent and Sub Area Manager for the NCB East Midlands Division No.6 Area. In 1973 he became NCB Deputy Chairman and was NCB Chairman for a short 18 month period in 1982-83. He retired due to ill health, despite being asked to stay on by the Thatcher Government and oversee the reorganisation of the British coal industry. This paved the way for Ian McGregor in 1983, who headed the NCB during the ill-fated miners’ strike of 1984-85. He was knighted in 1983 and died at Mansfield in 9th January 2002, aged 83.
Fig 13: Abandonment form for the High Hazels seam at Bestwood Colliery, 24th June 1967.
Fig 13: Abandonment form for the Main Bright seam at Bestwood Colliery, 12th May 1967.
Closure of Bestwood Colliery
Production started to drop from 1962 because of a combination of thinner coal seams and problems with vend (amount of dirt in the coal). Production in the productive High Main seam finished and it proved difficult to mine coal in the replacement seams, especially the High Hazels. In late 1965 Bestwood was classified by the NCB as a Category B colliery, one whose future was doubtful. By early 1967 the decision was made to finish production, despite endeavours by the NCB East Midlands Division and Nottingham Area NUM to try and keep it open with a reduced output and workforce. Production finished at the end of June 1967.
Fig 14: NCB South Nottinghamshire Area commemorative plate designed in 1983. Source – MuBu Miner collection
From 1st April 1967 Bestwood became one of 18 collieries in the newly formed NCB South Nottinghamshire Area, with the Area HQ being at Bestwood. It was the first South Nottinghamshire Area colliery to close shortly afterwards, with most of the workforce transferring to other local collieries. 200 men remained underground for salvage work, with another 100 being employed on the surface to deal with coal sent to Bestwood from nearby Linby Colliery via the Lancaster drift for a short period of time after the closure. This was while alternative tipping facilities were developed for Linby Colliery at Newstead.
Fig 15: Demolition at Bestwood Colliery in the late 1960’s. Photo Credit – MuBu Miner collection
Decimation to Preservation
Demolition of the Bestwood Colliery site and subsequent landscaping commenced in the early 1970’s, but the vertical winding engine and Dynamo House survived to become part of the Bestwood Country Park site which was developed from the mid 1980’s. Restoration of the Winding Engine commenced in earnest from the mid 1990’s led by former Colliery Mechanical Engineer, Bob Gow (1944-2025), with a significant Heritage Lottery Grant adding to the restoration in 2009/10.
Fig 16: Bestwood Colliery Male Voice Choir at the 50th anniversary closure event at Bestwood Dynamo House, July 2017. Photo by David Amos
Former Bestwood colliery electrician, Keith Stone (1942-2024), organised a 50th anniversary closure event at the Bestwood Winding Engine House site in July 2017. Exhibitions about the colliery were on display, Bestwood Colliery Male Voice Choir provided the music and the author presented an illustrated talk about the history of coalmining in the Leen Valley.
Fig 17: Preserved Bestwood Winding Engine House and headstock in 2013. Photo by David Amos
Video Clip – Bestwood Winding Engine House in November 2024.
Fig 18: Bestwood Dynamo House in 2013. Photo by David Amos
The preserved Gothic winding engine house and unique vertical winding engine are open for volunteer led guided tours on Saturday mornings from 10am to 12 noon, with the nearby Dynamo House serving light refreshments. More details on the Friends of Bestwood Country Park website at http://www.fbcp.org.uk/winding-engine-house.html
Fig 19: Volunteers at Bestwood Winding Engine House in 2006.
Bestwood Colliery was one of the case studies for the 2021-22 Nottingham Trent University led pilot project, ‘Mine-craft the Prequel: The Photographic Story of East Midlands Coal’. Download the project booklet @ https://thinkamigo.com/publications.html#
Fig 20: Bestwood village road sign on Moor Road. Bestwood. Photo by David Amos
The coalmining heritage of Bestwood is reflected in the road signs as you enter the village which depict the preserved colliery winding engine house and colliery village housing.
Blog by David Amos
Heritage Development Officer
Mine2Minds Education
Posted – 28th June 2026