Bolsover
Bolsover is a town in the county of Derbyshire in the East Midlands of England. The town is part of the Bolsover local district.
It is thought that early settlers in Bolsover may have used the area as a hill fortification. By the times of the Domesday Book the town was given an entry as Belesovre. During this period the town of Bolsover was part of the lands ruled by the Norman knight William de Peverel. In the 12th century the family constructed the original Bolsover Castle in the town. The town was given an early charter to hold a market and still has markets on a regular basis today.
Over the years Bolsover, as with much of the surrounding area, has been most associated with coal mining industries. The last collieries in the Bolsover area were closed down in the early 1990s. One of the area’s main coal mining companies was the Bolsover Colliery Company. This company started mining coal in earnest in the Bolsover and nearby Creswell areas in the 1890s and then expanded its operations across into Nottinghamshire.
Visitors to Bolsover may well want to visit the site of Bolsover Castle. The original castle built by the Peverels fell into ruin until the early 17th century when it was rebuilt by the Cavendish family who bought the site in the mid 16th century. During the Civil War the rebuilt castle was damaged by the Parliamentarians and had to be rebuilt again. The castle is now managed by English Heritage.
The town centre of Bolsover is also a pleasant walk. There are over 20 listed buildings in the town centre which has been marked as a conservation area. Bolsover also borders the Peak District and Nottinghamshire’s Sherwood Forest and is also therefore a good base for walkers and nature lovers.
It may also be worthwhile taking a visit to nearby Creswell when you visit Bolsover. The village here was built as a model village by the Bolsover Mining Company in the 1890s. Creswell Crags are also of historical interest as the caves here are held to contain the only example of Palaeolithic cave art yet discovered and still existing in the country.
Sutton Scarsdale Hall which lies near Bolsover is also a good visit for history and architecture lovers. This Georgian hall is now a shell without a roof but still contains some interesting examples of plaster work and 18th century building.
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