Shireoaks is a former pit village

Pit village

A pit village is a term used in the UK for the village serving a deep coal mine.Many of the workers lived in houses that were provided by the colliery. Many villages have experienced depopulation after colliery closures forced people to move to other towns and cities where there are jobs for them...

 in 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...

, located between 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...

 and Thorpe Salvin

Thorpe Salvin

Thorpe Salvin is a village and a civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England, on the border with Nottinghamshire. It lies between Worksop and Harthill, and is located at an elevation of around 110 metres above sea level...

.

The Chesterfield Canal

Chesterfield Canal

The Chesterfield Canal is in the north of England and it is known locally as 'Cuckoo Dyke'. It was opened in 1777 and ran 46 miles from the River Trent at West Stockwith, Nottinghamshire to Chesterfield, Derbyshire...

 and River Ryton

River Ryton

The River Ryton is a tributary of the River Idle. It is formed from a series of tributaries but begins at Lindrick Common in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. Most of its course is in Nottinghamshire, flowing through the town of Worksop...

 both run through the village. The main A57 between Sheffield

Sheffield

Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...

 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...

 passes close to the village and there are rail services to Sheffield, Lincoln

Lincoln, Lincolnshire

Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....

 and Cleethorpes

Cleethorpes

Cleethorpes is a town and unparished area in North East Lincolnshire, England, situated on the estuary of the Humber. It has a population of 31,853 and is a seaside resort.- History :...

 on the Sheffield to Lincoln Line

Sheffield to Lincoln Line

The Sheffield to Lincoln line is a railway line in England. It runs from Sheffield east to Lincoln via Worksop, Retford and Gainsborough Lea Road. The route comprises the main line of the former Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway, to Gainsborough, Trent Junction, where it then follows...

, which has a station at Shireoaks railway station

Shireoaks railway station

Shireoaks railway station serves the village of Shireoaks in Nottinghamshire, England. It was opened by the Sheffield and Lincolnshire Junction Railway in 1849...

.

Facilities

Current facilities include a newsagent, which is also the post office, a small shop, butcher, school, village hall, cafe and Miners Welfare, with bowling green and football pitch. The village has one pub, the Hewett Arms, in the park, due to the conversion of the old Station Hotel into a house during the past few years.

British Waterways

British Waterways

British Waterways is a statutory corporation wholly owned by the government of the United Kingdom, serving as the navigation authority in England, Scotland and Wales for the vast majority of the canals as well as a number of rivers and docks...

 Shireoaks Marina is a few minutes walk along the towpath from the village making it easily accessible for visiting boaters.

Steetley Cricket Ground

The cricket pitch along with its bowling green and tennis courts used to belong to the Steetley works in the village and was the home ground of their sporting teams. This is now under private ownership and the pavilion has been converted into a house; the new pavilion is a converted groundsman shed. The village went without a cricket team for many years until, in 2002, Shireoaks Cricket Club was re-established; it has gone from strength to strength, fielding two adult teams on a Sunday and providing opportunities for youth cricket to flourish. The club also fields a midweek 20/20 team, and a 7-a-side indoor team, known as the Shireoaks Snails. Shireoaks no longer use the cricket ground for home games. Woodsetts CC play 1st team fixtures at this picturesque venue.

Over the years the ground has been used for many minor county cricket matches involving the second team of Nottinghamshire, and has played host to 2 first class matches, these were;

• 5 July 1961 County Championship 1961 Nottinghamshire v Sussex

• 7 July 1979 West Indies Women in England 1979 3rd ODI England Women v West Indies Women

which is quite impressive for a village of this size where the local team used to only attract a few dozen spectators.
Total list of matches played: http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Grounds/11/734.html

The ground has recently been used as a training ground for the Worksop Town Football Club Academy.

Future

Since the closure of Shireoaks colliery in the early 1990s there have been many plans for its uses. So far the majority of there have not come to anything, the only one being the construction of a marina at the former location of the barge loading area adjacent to the Chesterfield Canal

Chesterfield Canal

The Chesterfield Canal is in the north of England and it is known locally as 'Cuckoo Dyke'. It was opened in 1777 and ran 46 miles from the River Trent at West Stockwith, Nottinghamshire to Chesterfield, Derbyshire...

. The area remains mostly undeveloped, but more than likely will be used for housing in the future

Due to the number of housing developments in the village and the rapid expansion of the area of Gateford in nearby 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...

, there is a concern that Shireoaks along with the neighbouring village of Rhodesia will soon become just a part of 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...

itself.

Trivia

The original mine shaft was sunk around 1860 but the memorial plate says 1854. It was abandoned on the 25th May 1991 and was capped in August 1992. The depth of the shaft was 483.5m and the shaft's diameter was 3.66m.