Whaley Thorns

Whaley Thorns is a former colliery village in the Bolsover district of Derbyshire, England, close to the Nottinghamshire border. Whaley Thorns lies just north of Nether Langwith and Langwith, 1.5 miles south-east of Creswell, and west of Cuckney. It is in the civil parish of Scarcliffe.

Whaley Thorns
Whaley Thorns - St Lukes Church
Whaley Thorns Location within Derbyshire
OS grid reference	SK5370
Civil parish	Shirebrook
District	Bolsover
Shire county	Derbyshire
Region	East Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	MANSFIELD
Postcode district	NG20
Police	Derbyshire
Fire	Derbyshire
Ambulance	East Midlands

The village takes its name from a dense wood, recorded on the first Ordnance Survey Maps. "Whaley" being Celtic for water/spring, referring to both the local springs, just to the north, and the river Poulter which lies only 200 yards to the south. And "Thorn" an Anglo-Saxon word, for wood. So the original meaning, may have been either "Wood of the Springs", or "Wood above/between the water(s)".

In the Mid-nineteenth century, much of the wood was cut down, following the discovery of coal beneath it. Thanks to the nearby railway, the site soon grew into a colliery village. The village acquired both a fine Anglican Chapel, and a Methodist Chapel; both still hold regular services. It also acquired a large primary school, and later on in the 1940s, a fine Frank Lloyd Wright style school too.

In the late 1970s the chief employer, the colliery, closed. Since the colliery closures, the first school has closed and re-opened as a heritage centre, as well as re-education centre for ex-miners. The Second has remained open as a primary school.

Following the Pit (Colliery) closure, the villages' population has greatly reduced, due to the, lack of local employment, and the deprivation that happened as a result. Since 1990, many rows of terraced houses, have been demolished, due to their run-down, or in some cases derelict, nature.

There are now just two shops, and one Pub.