Pleasley

Pleasley
Derbyshire
Pleasley Village
Location
Grid reference:	SK502643
Location:	53°10’24"N, 1°15’2"W
Data
Population:	2,305  (2011)
Post town:	Mansfield
Postcode:	NG19
Dialling code:	01623
Local Government
Council:	Bolsover Mansfield
Parliamentary constituency:	Bolsover

Pleasley is a village in Derbyshire at the very border of Nottinghamshire, marked here by a stream through the village, the River Meden: across the stream, an extension of Pleasley, is Pleasleyhill in the latter county.

Pleasley is to be found between Chesterfield and Mansfield, five miles south-east of Bolsover in Derbyshire and just two and a half miles north-west of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire.

The parish population was recorded by the 2011 Census as 2,305.

Pleasley is not recorded in Domesday Book; at this time it was part of Glapwell parish.

Parish church

The parish church of St. Michael is built of squared sandstone and is believed to originate from the 12th century, as it includes a 12th-century chancel arch and font. There are also features from the 13th and 14th century, and evidence of significant restoration in the 19th century, when it was re-roofed in Welsh slate. A new south window was fitted in the chancel at this time.

The pulpit came from Derby Cathedral, and there is a second font, which carries the date 1662. The building is a grade II* listed structure. It stands close to the River Meden, the county border.

Industry

George Sitwell, ironmaster, mined iron locally and at Pleasley built a furnace, a forge and power saws in the seventeenth century.

Water flowing over the dam with renovated former mill building in Old Pleasley village

Pleasley was a coal mining village for over 100 years. The Stanton Ironworks Company leased the mineral rights in 1872, and work on building the shaft for Pleasley Colliery began soon afterwards. Stanton's continued to operate it until nationalisation in 1946, after which it was run by the National Coal Board until it closed in 1983, with some of the workforce transferring to nearby Shirebrook colliery from where the accessible remaining underground coal reserves were mined.

The mine was partly demolished but during the demolition it was realised that the pit winding engines were the only pair of such engines left. The former mine is now a museum. The spoil heaps have been turned into a large nature reserve, complete with large ponds, cycle and walking tracks.

The old coal mine is found high above the old village centre and a series of very large old weaving mills below in the Vale being the historic main industries, together with farming.

Pleasley Pit Country Park

Pleasley was served by two railway stations Pleasley East and Pleasley West. Both stations closed as well as the lines through them and the nearest active railway stations are now in Mansfield and Shirebrook.

Pleasley Vale

Pleasley Vale is a deep, narrow valley, much of which is wooded, which has been formed by the River Meden cutting down through the underlying limestone escarpment. The Vale has been the location for industry since at least 1767, when two forges and a corn mill are known to have been operating, powered by the river. The forges were run by George Sitwell, and were called Nether and Upper forge. The engineered river channel made it a good site for further development, and a consortium of businessmen from Nottingham and drapers from Mansfield leased the vale and Pleasley Park in 1782, to construct water-powered cotton mills. The Upper Mill was built first, on the site of the previous corn mill, and was operational by 1785. The Lower Mill was completed seven years later at a cost of £1,190, and was much bigger. A manager's house and a row of ten houses for the workers was also completed in 1792. The mills supplied cotton to the expanding East Midland hosiery industry. One of the original three businessmen was Henry Hollins, and by the early 18th century, the mills were run by William Hollins and Co. They were the first and one of the most successful cotton producers in the Midlands.

Mill 1 at Pleasley Vale, with the mill pond

The Hollins family managed the mills for many years, but from the 1830s were joined by the Pagets, who introduced steam power to the mills. Fire destroyed the Upper Mill on 25 December 1840, but it was rebuilt by 1844. The Lower Mill also burnt down, and was replaced in 1847. Newer equipment fitted as part of the rebuilding enabled the mills to stay competitive. William Hollins lived at Pleasley Vale, and oversaw the expansion of the community, with the construction of more houses for the workers, the provision of public facilities including a school, wash house, and a cooperative society, and attention to leisure activities by the establishing of a Mechanics Institute, a library and a cricket club. A company farm was also established. St Chad's Chapel and the vicarage were commissioned by Charles Paget in 1876. The Chapel was opened in 1881, but was reputedly built in 1861 at Stuffynwood, Derbyshire, and later moved to its present site. It has a small bell turret at its western end, and a number of its features mimic thirteenth and fourteenth century styles. Internally, there is a brass memorial to Paget and his wife Helen Elizabeth.

From the 1890s, the mills produced Viyella, a mixture of cotton with Merino wool, which produces a soft fabric. A third mill (now called Mill 2) was built between the upper and lower mills in 1913. It was originally built as a combing shed, where the cotton fibres were straightened and aligned prior to the production of fabric, but became a mill in 1952 following the addition of a further two floors to the main building, and a three-storey extension on the side. The mills continued to flourish, employing 980 workers at the site in 1934. Transport of raw materials and finished product was provided by the Midland Railway, who opened their Tibshelf and Pleasley branch in 1883, primarily to serve Pleasley Colliery, which began production in 1878. The branch connected with other lines at Mansfield Woodhouse in the east and Alfreton in the west. Sidings and a warehouse were built below the lower mill. The railway and its sidings had both been dismantled by 1967.

The first workers houses were demolished in 1961, to be followed by the school, the baths and the Mechanics Institute. By 1987, production had moved abroad, and the mills closed.

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About the village

Meden Square in Pleasley village

The area of Pleasley itself consists of distinct areas, of which Pleasley Village and Upper Pleasley are in Derbyshire and Pleasleyhill in Nottinghamshire.

Pleasley Colliery in its restored state

Pleasley Village is the oldest part at the lowest point where the River Meden flows through the valley with a dam and mill pond in the centre of the village. Some original buildings remain, built from local sandstone, noticeably around the old mill site, and the two pubs.

Upper Pleasley is at the southern end of the village, and is today the area around Terrace Lane. Terrace Lane was initially surrounded by fields, and eventually served as the back entrance to Pleasley Colliery, which is still visible today. Between 1875–1899, two rows of terraced houses were built on what is now Old Terrace. These were built for workers at the colliery. Private bungalows were built along Terrace Lane, and in the 1920s, more pit houses were built on New Terrace, and along the top of Terrace Lane.

The terraced houses on Old Terrace were demolished in the 1970s, and the land stood empty for 30 years. In the early 2000s, this land was built on and a new estate was built, with two new cul-de-sacs being built, and new houses being built along Old Terrace. In 2009, the older houses on New Terrace were demolished, and the remaining houses renovated. New homes were built in the place of the demolished houses, following the existing road layout.

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Pleasley)

• Pleasley Parish Council
• Pleasley Colliery
• Pleasley Landmark
• St Michael's Church