snibston colliery

Snibston Colliery Park

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Snibston Colliery Park

Snibston Colliery Park celebrates the area’s history of mining and the Snibston Colliery while giving you the chance to relax in the beautiful surroundings of the country park including the Grange Nature Reserve, which was Leicestershire’s first local nature reserve.

You can see the original Colliery buildings and machinery close up, but all traces of mining are now gone, with the surrounding area now an important ecological site, with the Colliery’s former spoil heap now an area of open grassland.

Stop for a drink or snack at the Colliery Café, follow the Snibston Heritage Trail or let the kids blow off some steam at the play area. You can also get on your bike and explore the mountain bike trail, or take a seat at the unique Century Theatre, dating back to 1948, is Britain’s oldest surviving travelling theatre and now has a permanent home at Snibston.

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Visitor Details

Key Information

12 Chiswell Dr, Coalville, Leicestershire, LE67 3JX

Tel: 0116 305 5000

Opening Times

Season (1 Jan 2024 - 31 Dec 2024)

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  • Uncover the story - If you’re looking for fun for all the family, you won’t have to dig too deep at Snibston Colliery Park – this former mining site, once out of bounds to the public, is now a visitor-friendly haven. <hr> Agricultural land for centuries, it was George Stephenson, ‘Father of Railways’, who saw Snibston’s potential. Primarily here to build a railway, he snapped up Snibston estate when valuable coal reserves were uncovered. In 1832, he founded No. 1 and No. 2 pits, and, in his own words, embarked upon ‘the most profitable enterprise I ever took’. <hr> Mined for more than 150 years, the final lump of coal surfaced at Snibston No. 2 Colliery in 1983. It closed three years later, when sister pits Whitwick and South Leicester Collieries also shut. <hr> The story of these lost pits was chronicled in 1992, when the site was regenerated and became a museum. A further regeneration project in 2020 saw Snibston Colliery Park created, preserving its history forever. <hr> Visitors are greeted by rare surviving colliery buildings and machinery, and these designated scheduled monuments form the Snibston Heritage Trail. <hr> There’s no going underground today, but with so much going on at ground level, surrounded by the beauty of the National Forest, you’ll be glad to be in the fresh air. As well as a playground and café, dotted around the site are impressive contemporary art sculptures. <hr> Take a peaceful walk around Grange Nature Reserve with its wildflower meadows and fishing lakes, or opt for an adrenalin-fuelled adventure on the colliery’s spoil heap, which has been transformed into a blue grade mountain bike trail. <hr> After all that exercise, why not take a seat in the adjoining Century Theatre. Britain’s oldest travelling theatre made more than a pit stop here in 1996, putting down permanent roots and offering a varied range of performances ever since.

Parking & Transport

  • On site parking

Provider Preferences

  • In countryside

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