Leisure plans for old mine site at Clipstone Headstocks following purchase

The 200ft high Clipstone Headstocks, buildings and eight acres of land have been bought by Mansfield’s Adco Properties Ltd from owners the Coal Authority and the Welbeck estate.

Stuart Mills, director of Adco Properties Limited, Mansfield, said the company was “delighted” to have made the purchase – for an undisclosed sum – after years of negotiations.

The Clipstone Colliery opened in 1922 and ran until 2003. The headstocks are the giant towers which held the wheels which not only controlled the descent of the cage, used by miners as they dropped into the 920m deep pit, but also for drawing out the coal. The colliery buildings and powerhouse are Grade ll listed.

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Stuart said: “We are really delighted we have finally purchased the Clipstone Headstock, land and three buildings. It is a very historic site and we want to restore and renovate it for use as a multi-purpose leisure facility.

"The headstocks are incredibly high, 60m or 200 ft, and on a clear day you can even see Lincoln Cathedral from the top.

“The buildings are quite substantial, solidly built, red brick. They are not just ugly industrial buildings but have huge glazed panels which are a Bauhaus design.”

Stuart added: “It has been a complicated lease situation but the Coal Authority, who owned the buildings, and the Welbeck Estate who owned the land, have both been extremely helpful to make sure that the sale goes forwards.

"We are hoping to use the building for a variety of purposes, such as a gym music studio, creche, badminton court, cafe and a museum telling the history of mining at Clipstone and the area.

“We also hope to attract individuals to run businesses on the site and want to offer low rents. There is about 50,000 square feet of space, various levels on three separate buildings which offers huge potential."

It is hoped the work on the development, which has already started, will be completed by the summer of 2022.

Stuart added “We’ve got a lot of work to do, particularly around health and safety on the site, but we are looking forward to the completion of the development, estimated in around 18 months.”

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