Bircotes
Encyclopedia
Bircotes is a mining
town
in the Bassetlaw
district of Nottinghamshire
, on the border with the metropolitan borough of Doncaster (part of South Yorkshire
). It is located at 53°25′N 1°2′W, and forms the civil parish of Harworth and Bircotes with its neighbour Harworth
. The parish has a population of around 8,000 people. The nearest major towns are Doncaster
and Worksop
. The local school is Serlby Park
.
Bircotes was founded in the 1920s, with the discovery of coal
during the First World War
and the establishment of Harworth Colliery
, to provide homes for miners. It is the home to one of the last deep-mine pits in the UK, although the pit is currently only being kept on a care and maintenance basis. Harworth
was also the home of Tour de France
cyclist, Tom Simpson
, who died during the 1967 Tour from complications caused by his use of performance-enhancing drugs.
See also RAF Bircotes
for the former RAF Station located close-by.
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in the Bassetlaw
Bassetlaw
Bassetlaw is the northernmost district of Nottinghamshire, England, with a population according to the 2001 UK census of 107,713. The borough is predominantly rural, with two towns: Worksop, site of the borough offices, and Retford...
district of Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, on the border with the metropolitan borough of Doncaster (part of South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
). It is located at 53°25′N 1°2′W, and forms the civil parish of Harworth and Bircotes with its neighbour Harworth
Harworth
Harworth is a small town in the county of Nottinghamshire, in the Midlands of England in Bassetlaw district. It is approximately eight miles north of Worksop...
. The parish has a population of around 8,000 people. The nearest major towns are Doncaster
Doncaster
Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
and Worksop
Worksop
Worksop is the largest town in the Bassetlaw district of Nottinghamshire, England on the River Ryton at the northern edge of Sherwood Forest. It is about east-south-east of the City of Sheffield and its population is estimated to be 39,800...
. The local school is Serlby Park
Serlby Park
Serlby Park Business and Enterprise Learning Community is a 3-18 school serving the twin Villages of Bircotes and Harworth in north Nottinghamshire....
.
Bircotes was founded in the 1920s, with the discovery of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
during the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and the establishment of Harworth Colliery
Harworth Colliery
Harworth Colliery is a mothballed coal mine in the Bassetlaw area of north Nottinghamshire. It has recently been abandoned due to troubles at the seam...
, to provide homes for miners. It is the home to one of the last deep-mine pits in the UK, although the pit is currently only being kept on a care and maintenance basis. Harworth
Harworth
Harworth is a small town in the county of Nottinghamshire, in the Midlands of England in Bassetlaw district. It is approximately eight miles north of Worksop...
was also the home of Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
cyclist, Tom Simpson
Tom Simpson
Tom Simpson was the most successful English road racing cyclist of the post-war years. He infamously died of exhaustion on the slopes of Mont Ventoux during the 13th stage of the Tour de France in 1967...
, who died during the 1967 Tour from complications caused by his use of performance-enhancing drugs.
See also RAF Bircotes
RAF Bircotes
RAF Bircotes is a former Royal Air Force airfield located within South Yorkshire and the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster and was formerly located within the boundary of Nottinghamshire. RAF Bircotes was located next the No. 1 Group RAF, RAF Bomber Command HQ at RAF Bawtry, Bawtry Hall, Bawtry,...
for the former RAF Station located close-by.