Memorial garden celebrating Thoresby Colliery unveiled in Edwinstowe

The legacy and memory of miners who worked at Thoresby Colliery has been recognised through the introduction of a new memorial garden.
Councillor John Peck, Councillor Celia Brooks, Rev. Ian Webb and former miners Councillor Paul Peacock and Mick Allen.Councillor John Peck, Councillor Celia Brooks, Rev. Ian Webb and former miners Councillor Paul Peacock and Mick Allen.
Councillor John Peck, Councillor Celia Brooks, Rev. Ian Webb and former miners Councillor Paul Peacock and Mick Allen.

The garden, at Edwinstowe Village Hall, remembers all miners who worked at the colliery during its 90-year history, including the 55 workers who lost their lives.

The memorial was organised by Edwinstowe Parish Council and part-funded by Nottinghamshire County Council's local improvement scheme, costing about £24,000.

It reads: "[This memorial is] Dedicated to the men and women who worked at Thoresby Colliery, and to those who lost their lives from 1925 to 2015."

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More than 100 people turned out at the Edwinstowe hall to mark its opening on October 19, including Councillor John Peck, who led the working party that planned the scheme.

It was also blessed by Reverend Ian Webb, vicar of St Mary's Church in the village, while Nottinghamshire's "proud mining history" was honoured during speeches.

Addressing the ceremony, Councillor Paul Peacock, who worked at Thoresby Colliery, said, "It’s important that Edwinstowe has a permanent memorial which remembers our proud mining history.

"But in particular, we must never forget those who lost their lives during the course of their dangerous work."

Thoresby Colliery earned the unofficial title “the jewel in the crown”, which is inscribed on the memorial stone.

This was because it broke several production records, including being the first colliery to produce one million tonnes of coal in a year.

Thoresby opened in 1925 and was the last deep mine in Nottinghamshire to close in 2015.