About the Site

Site History

Rufford Colliery was a deep mine that operated from 1911 and closed in 1993. The spoil heaps at Rufford also received colliery spoil via an internal road from Clipstone colliery to the north. For a 5-year period in the early 2000’s, coal fines were extracted from the spoil heaps and transported to the power stations to be blended with coal. Sand has also been extracted from the site. The sale of coal fines and sand has funded the restoration of the wider site over the last decade. The restoration has been completed to a high standard to establish new wildlife habitats including large water bodies and heathland, which is attractive to woodlarks and nightjars. The work has been completed through a close working relationship with Nottinghamshire County Council and The Wildlife Trust.

Historic aerial view of the Former Rufford Colliery pit yard site showing large piles of debris, roads, and some water bodies, surrounded by agricultural fields and greenery.

Open-pit mining site with multiple dump trucks working on a large excavated area surrounded by green bushes and trees, under a partly cloudy sky.

Two excavators moving large piles of black dirt on the former Rufford Colliery site, with a grassy hill and trees in the background.

Site Location

The former Rufford Colliery is located to the north of Rainworth, adjacent to the A617 Rainworth Bypass, which is part of the Mansfield Ashfield Regeneration Route (MARR). The site is accessed via Rufford Colliery Lane, which connects the Colliery to Rainworth village. The site is surrounded by the wider colliery site on all sides, which has been extensively remediated. To the south of the site is the Rainworth Sewage Treatment Works and Cygnet Healthcare site.

A lakeside scene with a clear blue sky, leafless trees, some evergreen shrubs, and patches of snow on the ground along a dirt path leading to the lake.

Wide view of an empty, cracked concrete surface with patches of ice or water, under a clear blue sky with the sun low on the horizon. In the distance, there are wind turbines on a treeline.

Aerial view of the former Rufford colliery site, now mostly remediated, showing a landscape with forests, lakes, fields, and a highway running across the bottom.