An Eastwood walking trail dedicated to the world-renowned writer DH Lawrence is set to be extended to bridge together the borough's literary, cultural and industrial heritage.

Broxtowe is Nottinghamshire’s second smallest borough with a population of 110,900 in the 2021 census, followed by Mansfield at around 110,500 people.

But while smaller, Broxtowe is steeped in rich mining history – home to Brinsley Colliery and Moorgreen Colliery – and is the birthplace of world-renowned writer Lawrence who was from Eastwood in the north of the borough.

But Broxtowe’s mining and literary heritage easily go hand in hand.

Leader of Broxtowe Borough Council, Milan Radulovic, outside the D.H. Lawrence Museum in Eastwood

placeholder image — Leader of Broxtowe Borough Council, Milan Radulovic, outside the D.H. Lawrence Museum in Eastwood

Lawrence’s largely-autobiographical novel, Sons and Lovers, refers to a coal mine called Beggarlee, which the area’s historic Brinsley Headstocks stood in for as part of the on-screen retelling of the book in 1960.

His father, Arthur, and grandfather, Bert, also worked at the Brinsley pit, which closed in 1934.

This legacy is already celebrated in the existing 1.5-mile DH Lawrence trail, which offers a circular walk incorporating the birthplace museum and key literary and historic locations centred around Eastwood.

It also nods to other spots, such as Colliers Wood – once the site of Moor Green Colliery – and Beauvale School where Lawrence attended.

The entrance to the Brinsley Headstocks Heritage and Wildlife site

But now, Broxtowe Council is extending the trail to 6.2 miles, providing clear links between Eastwood, Colliers Wood, which includes the former Moorgreen Colliery, and Brinsley Headstocks.

Both the former pit sites feature memorial plaques with the names of the miners who lost their lives at the sites.

The trail includes the greenbelt land the council is trying to get designated between Eastwood and Brinsley to create a new country park – meaning it would be protected from future development.

Coun Milan Radulovic (Brox All), Broxtowe Council leader, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that the designation of land and extended walking trail was ‘to try and bring in as many people to visit the area’, particularly for them to study the DH Lawrence and mining heritage.

He said: “It’s to protect the countryside, ‘the country of my heart’, and it will be recognised in the area, throughout the country and across the world because of the connection to DH Lawrence.”

Speaking at a cabinet meeting on June 30, Coun Teresa Cullen (Brox Alliance) said: “Our cultural heritage is across the whole borough, but the DH Lawrence heritage in the north of the borough is hugely important to us.

“By extending this walk to take in other aspects, very linked together, Brinsley Headstocks – Lawrence’s family were coal miners – it’s all linked together, it actually makes the tourist offer.

“We do have coach-loads of people come to our lovely museum up there and being able to offer them not only the viewing of the graveyard but also the chance to go on a 6.2 mile walk is absolutely fantastic.”

She suggested a future councillor-sponsored walk along the 6.2 mile route to raise money to ‘invest’ in young people to learn about Broxtowe’s cultural history.

Works to reinstall the historic Brinsley Headstocks, around one mile north of Eastwood, began in April 2026 after a series of delays.

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.

The council approved a £220,000 full oak replacement in January 2025 and it was originally aimed for the installation and wider 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.

Coun Radulovic told the LDRS back in May that he hoped for the structure to be opened by September, in line with the DH Lawrence Music Festival.

Documents from the cabinet meeting state that ‘subject to contractor availability, the reinstatement of this structure is anticipated by the end of the year’.

Coun Tyler Marsh (Brox Alliance), portfolio holder for environment and climate change, told the meeting it is ‘planned to launch the extended trail route to also coincide with the DH Lawrence Music Festival in August or September’.