Mine shaft find 'unlikely' to delay headstocks plan

The council said the shaft had not been marked on Coal Board plans

The unexpected discovery of a former mine shaft is unlikely to delay the rebuilding of a Nottinghamshire landmark, a council has said.

Brinsley Headstocks is currently being re-erected after it was dismantled in 2023 because parts of its wooden structure were found to be rotten and unsafe.

On Tuesday, Broxtowe Borough Council said it had fenced off part of the nature reserve, near where the headstocks will be placed, after a survey located the uncapped shaft.

The authority has asked people to stay away from the area.

The old structure is being replaced with a "like-for-like" replica

A council spokesperson said: "Other shafts on the site are approximately 250ft (76.2m) deep but there is no record of this shaft on the Coal Board plans.

"It was only picked up by our team when they were checking old site plans.

"They passed this information on to the site investigator who then identified the shaft.

"It is unlikely that this shaft will impact on the delivery programme of the headstocks."

"Normally a mine shaft when it is closed down is filled firstly with rubble," the spokesperson added.

"It is then injected with cement to form a plug and then a concrete slab is placed on top. What was found was that the shaft was filled with rubble but there was no cement or concrete slab.

"There is the possibility that the rubble in the shaft can settle and sink, which is why it is important to have a cap."

'Like-for-like replica'

The council added it was possible it may have to fence off a larger area as it carried out work to secure the mine shaft.

Mining ceased at Brinsley Colliery in 1934.

The headstocks were moved to another pit when the site closed and in 1970, they went to a mining museum, before returning to Brinsley - though not in the exact original position.

The pit employed the father of author D.H. Lawrence and it features in one of his books.

The council approved a plan to replace the lost headstocks earlier in January with a "like-for-like" replica.

The replacement timber headstocks towers measure 11m (36ft) and will retain the original structure's wheels.