‘Desperate’ push for restored Brinsley Headstocks to open by September after delays

Work to begin reinstalling the Brinsley Headstocks, located around one mile north of Eastwood, started last month after some issues with the project.

The historic wooden structure was part of Brinsley Colliery which opened in 1842 and closed in 1934.

The father of renowned Eastwood-born writer, DH Lawrence, once worked there.

Mining shafts at the site remained open until 1970 for access to other pits.

The headstocks were built in 1872 and would have been used to lift miners, equipment and material in and out of the mine.

But the landmark was taken down in December 2023 over safety concerns.

In January 2025, Broxtowe Council approved a £220,000 full oak replacement of the headstocks and it was projected installation would be completed by April 2026.

Coun Milan Radulovic (Brox All), council leader, was originally aiming for the wider Brinsley Headstocks site project – including a new wildflower meadow and remembrance orchard for miners who lost their lives at the pit – to be completed by October 2025.

This was pushed back due to the discovery of two old mining shafts in October 2024 following a ground investigation partly using old maps – one inaccessible tunnel was found to be underneath the remembrance orchard area.

Now, ground works for the replacement of the headstocks are underway, with the council investing £40,000 in foundation preparations.

Coun Radulovic says he is ‘pushing’ for the structure to be completed in September 2026.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, he said: “We’re trying to get it all done by September.

“I want to have it done by the time the DH Lawrence Music Festival comes around.

“I want us to be in a position to kick the festival off with the DH Lawrence Country Park walk, a completed Colliers Wood project and the completed Brinsley project.”

The leader says he hopes the various projects will bring ‘thousands’ of visitors to the town.

He continued: “That’s the timetable I’m trying to work to, but it depends on issues like with procurement and the workforce – I’m leading it, I’m desperately trying to get it done for then.

“We’re trying to attract more and more people into the area to help local shops and businesses, that’s the ambition.”

The new headstocks will feature the two original winding wheels, while new timber will be used to ensure its longevity.

In July 2025, the council unveiled a memorial bench for the 33 people known to have lost their lives at the pit, along with a plaque of their names, built using timber from the original headstocks.

A new country park, named after DH Lawrence, is planned to connect the DH Lawrence Museum in Eastwood to Colliers Wood Nature Reserve and Brinsley Headstocks Nature Reserve.