Coal and Ironstone have been mined in the Codnor district for hundreds of years. Records exist of the De Grey family of Codnor castle having coalmines in the 15th century and later Sir John Zouch mined for Iron ore to smelt in his blast furnaces at Loscoe Dam.
These early mines were known as Bell pits, and were only capable of retrieving the coal and ironstone that was relatively close to the surface.
It wasn’t until the Butterley Company was established in 1790 that mining in the area began to get more advanced. The company invested huge amounts of money into mines that penetrated the coal and ironstone seams deeper than ever before. The local community grew from a small agricultural based workforce to a rapidly growing industrial one. The increasing population needed more housing and many of the streets in Codnor did not exist until the mid 1800s, when they were built to accommodate hundreds of workers needed for the many mines in the area.

This page will list the mines that were located in the immediate Codnor area, click on each one to view details of the mine.

High Holborn Pit
(Butterley No.5 Colliery)

Forty Horse Pit