Creswell, Derbyshire
Creswell | ||
---|---|---|
Shire county | ||
Region | ||
Country | England | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom | |
Post town | WORKSOP | |
Postcode district | S80 | |
Dialling code | 01909 | |
Police | Derbyshire | |
Fire | Derbyshire | |
Ambulance | East Midlands | |
UK Parliament | ||
Creswell is a former mining village located in the
History
Whilst
Only Whitwell, Elmton and Thorp (Salvin) were original Saxon towns. Before Creswell Village was built, Creswell Crags was known locally as Whitwell Crags.
20th century
Creswell expanded throughout the 20th century after a lease was obtained from the
Creswell Colliery mining disaster, 1950
In the early hours of 26 September 1950, a damaged conveyor belt caught in a machine at the colliery, causing the motor to overheat and catch fire trapping 80 men beyond the flames. They all perished as a result of the fumes and smoke. As word of the disaster spread, Creswell residents rushed to the pithead to offer assistance. One miner, who had broken his back several months before, went down the stricken pit, with a back brace on, to rescue his fellow workers. Serious errors prevented the fire from being extinguished quickly and only 57 bodies were initially recovered and 23 remained underground for the best part of a year. The fire was finally put out after the entire colliery had been sealed to starve it of oxygen, and it did not reopen until Easter 1951, when most of the remaining bodies were recovered. The last three victims were recovered on 11 August 1951, nearly eleven months after the fire.[3]
The enquiry,[3] presided over by the Minister of Fuel and Power Geoffrey Lloyd, described a number of factors involved in the high death rate, including telephones being too far from the face, repair work being done on the "paddy" (the underground train used to convey the men to and from the lift shaft), inadequate air shafts and low water pressure in the fire hoses.[4]
Amenities
Creswell had two
During the 20th century the landscape was scarred by a century of mining with the black spoil tips of debris from miles underground, air-borne pollution from pit chimneys and poor architecture and housing.[citation needed]
By the mid-20th century Creswell supported facilities not to be found in other villages, such as a
The village had one main
Creswell Colliery closed in the early 1990s, after the
The Creswell Social Centre (previously called The Drill Hall) has always been the hub of the village, hosting parties and weddings along with sports and entertainment such as wrestling and boxing.
Beyond the village, the landscape has two unusual features,
, but the former is more important as the caves within it have been found to contain not only prehistoric artefacts but also cave art.See also
References
Notes
- ^ "MSS – Portland (London) Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Estate Papers, Sales 3, University of Nottingham". Archived from the original on 12 January 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
- ^ "The Famous Creswell Colliery Brass Band". Archived from the original on 20 April 2009. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
- ^ a b Bryan, A. M. (1952). "Report on the causes of, and circumstances attending, the accident which occurred at Creswell Colliery, Derbyshire, on the 26th September, 1950". Minister of Fuel and Power. Retrieved 28 June 2021 – via Durham Mining Museum.
- ISBN 1850583528.
- ^ Dow 1965, p. 161.
- ^ Cupit & Taylor 1984, p. 23.
- ^ Butt 1995.
Sources
- OL 11956311M.
- Cupit, J.; Taylor, W. (1984) [1966]. The Lancashire, Derbyshire & East Coast Railway. Oakwood Library of Railway History (2nd ed.). Headington: Oakwood Press. ISBN 0-85361-302-8. OL19.
- Dow, George (1965). Great Central, Volume Three: Fay Sets the Pace, 1900-1922. Shepperton: ISBN 0-7110-0263-0.
External links
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