There was originally a ‘d’ in Bilsthorpe’s name. The thorpe being a Scandinavian invader named Bildr who is believed to have founded the village before the Saxons and Danes. Bilsthorpe was mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086 as ‘Bildesthorp’.[4]
The village's colliery closed in 1997 after 70 years in use.[5] The colliery was the centre of national media and public attention on 18 August 1993 when a roof collapsed in the colliery, killing under-manager David Shelton and miners Bill McCulloch and Peter Alcock.[6] David Shelton was posthumously awarded the George Medal for bravery on 11 October 1995 for aiding the rescue of other miners;[7] survivor Ray Thompson also received the George Medal.
A memorial in the form of an 8ft (2.4m)miners lamp carved from sandstone bearing the names of 77 deceased workers dating back to 1927 was established in 2011.[8]
A memorial to dead miners was also erected outside the colliery site.[9]
Facilities
The village has two children's play-parks as well as a small duck pond. It is the northern terminus of the Southwell Trail. It has also a members-only fishing lake created from the remains of the old colliery slag heap.
The village is known locally as being two areas, the 'old' and 'new'. The village has two public houses, The Copper Beech which is located in the old village, and the Stanton Arms which is located in the new village. There is still a local miners' welfare club which is also in the new village.
Bilsthorpe parish church is the Grade I listed St Margaret's Church.[10]
Bilsthorpe Moor is to the south of the village. It previously housed a supported-living home, LifeWays, for adults with learning disabilities and autism, which closed in 2019.[11][12]
Bilsthorpe Flying High Academy is the local education facility for children with access to nursery and primary learning. Part of The Flying High Trust, a multi-school organisation based in Cotgrave, Nottinghamshire, it opened for the autumn term 2015 and was previously known as Crompton View Primary School.[13][14][15]
The village is home to the Bilsthorpe heritage museum, which is located in the new village.[16]
Sport
Bilsthorpe Welfare Youth Football Club won the Mansfield Youth Under 16s Division 2 football championship. BWYFC Bilsthorpe is also the home of non-league football club Nottingham United, one of the biggest semi-professional clubs in the county, currently playing at Step 7 of the National League System and based at Bilsthorpe Sports Ground on Eakring Road. NUFC
English footballer Mark Monington was born in Bilsthorpe.
