An initiative has emerged urging the property developer to restore historic artefacts to their original position.
Construction continues at Thoresby Vale as of mid-2026 (Image: Joseph Raynor/Nottingham Post)
A local authority in Nottinghamshire has stated that an item of historical significance from the region’s final coal mining operation is presently being kept at another location following relocation by the housing company responsible for the development.
Campaigners are pushing for two winding wheels originating from Thoresby Colliery, which ceased operations in 2015, to be returned to the entrance of the residential development now occupying the former mine grounds.
The extensive Thoresby Vale project, comprising 1,000 residences, continues to take shape and the Harworth Group, the firm overseeing the scheme, relocated the wheels from the entrance several years prior.
Newark and Sherwood District Council has now clarified the current location of both wheels amid concerns expressed by former Thoresby workers regarding their whereabouts.
The council has also indicated it would support any suggestions to restore the wheels to the Thoresby Vale entrance.
Council leader Councillor Paul Peacock said that the Harworth Group, which holds ownership of the land, chose to remove the wheels. One has already been positioned overlooking the former colliery grounds within the country park, while the second is presently stored but will shortly be installed in the open area where the mining shafts were situated, pending an application. This will ensure it occupies a central position within the new Thoresby Vale neighbourhood while safeguarding the site’s mining heritage.
One of the Thoresby Colliery winding wheels formerly positioned at the Thoresby Vale development entrance (Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service)
Queries had surfaced regarding whether the country park wheel actually originated from Blidworth Colliery, though Councillor Peacock verified this information was inaccurate.
Winding wheels symbolise the mechanisms employed to transport miners up and down shaft openings, though they have acquired deeper symbolic meaning since mining operations ceased.
The Harworth Group has consequently faced criticism from campaigners who claim the firm attempted to hide the region’s heritage by removing the wheels.
Councillor Peacock continued by saying that the choice to relocate the wheels was made a decade ago and was not made by the district council. Any choice to move them once more also falls outside what the district council can determine. The council would support any proposals to restore them as part of the broader Thoresby Vale development.
A Harworth Group representative previously indicated that the company takes considerable pride in its collaborative efforts with partners to convert the former Thoresby Colliery into the lively, environmentally conscious new neighbourhood of Thoresby Vale. Throughout the conceptualisation and implementation of this project, the group has been dedicated to honouring this area’s significant industrial legacy by incorporating notable historical elements, including parts of the former colliery, to establish meaningful communal areas. This is shown through intentions to convert the colliery’s workshop building into a new gathering space and the positioning of winding wheels within Thoresby Vale Country Park and throughout the remainder of the development. The focus is on ensuring these elements are suitably positioned so that they remain accessible to everyone and optimise recreational and learning opportunities, enabling future generations to commemorate Thoresby’s distinguished mining history.