Bevercotes Colliery

Bevercotes Colliery was the first fully automated mine. It went into production in July 1965.[1] Located in Bevercotes to the north of Ollerton, the colliery was, alongside Cotgrave Colliery, one of two new collieries opened in the county of Nottinghamshire in the 1960s.[2] The colliery was closed in 1993 and turned into a nature reserve.[3]

Bevercotes Colliery in 2007

Bevercotes Colliery
Location
Bevercotes Colliery is located in Nottinghamshire
Bevercotes Colliery
Bevercotes Colliery
Location in Nottinghamshire
LocationNottinghamshire
County councilNottinghamshire
CountryEngland
Coordinates53°15′29″N 0°57′40″W
Production
ProductsCoal
History
Opened1965
Closed1993
Owner
CompanyBritish Coal

The mine was served by a single track, 4.5 mi (7.2 km) branch railway opened in June 1960.[4]

Miners' strike 1984-5

During the UK miners' strike (1984–85), Bevercotes Colliery voted approximately two-to-one against strike action in a ballot held on 15–16 March 1984.[5] During the strike, Chris Butcher, a miner from Bevercotes Colliery, became well known as 'Silver Birch' who was funded by the Daily Mail to travel around the UK actively opposing the strike; he was also involved in organising legal action to block the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), who were running the strike.[6] In October 1985, Bevercotes miners voted to leave the NUM in favour of the Union of Democratic Mineworkers by 782 votes out of 1,372 cast (57%).[5]

References
  1. "U.K: World's First Remotely Controlled Mine Opened at Retford, England -- Push-Button Colliery Will Produce 6,000 Tons of Coal a Day". www.itnsource.com. ITN. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  2. "The coal industry in Nottinghamshire > Overview". www.nottsheritagegateway.org.uk. Nottinghamshire Heritage Gateway. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  3. Edgar, Gordon. "Bevercotes Colliery". Flickr. Flickr. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  4. "Colliery Branch Construction in Nottinghamshire". The Railway Magazine. Vol. 106, no. 709. May 1960. pp. 352–354.
  5. David, Amos. "The Nottinghamshire miners, the Union of Democratic Mineworkers and the 1984-85 miners strike: scabs or scapegoats?" (PDF). University of Nottingham repository. University of Nottingham. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
  6. Maguire, Kevin (29 February 2004). "No regrets from key players in dispute". The Guardian. The Guardian. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
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