Bolsover facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bolsover |
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 Bolsover
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| Population | 11,673 (civil parish) |
| OS grid reference | SK475706 |
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| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CHESTERFIELD |
| Postcode district | S44 |
| Dialling code | 01246 |
| Police | Derbyshire |
| Fire | Derbyshire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| EU Parliament | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
Bolsover is a historic market town in Derbyshire, England. It is the main town in the Bolsover District. This area is in the north-east part of Derbyshire. Bolsover is about 18 miles (29 km) from Sheffield. It is also about 26 miles (42 km) from Nottingham and 27 miles (43 km) from Derby.
The town of Bolsover is part of a larger area called Old Bolsover. This area includes the town itself. It also has other smaller places like New Bolsover model village, Hillstown, Carr Vale, Shuttlewood, Stanfree, Oxcroft, and Whaley. In 2011, about 11,673 people lived in this area.
Contents
History of Bolsover
The name Bolsover has a bit of a mystery! It might come from old English words like Bula's Ofer or Boll's Ofer. These mean "Bull's Ridge" or "Boll's Ridge." A "ridge" is a long, narrow hill.
Bolsover is mentioned in a very old book called the Domesday Book. This book was made in 1086 to record who owned land in England. In the Domesday Book, Bolsover was called Belesovre. It belonged to a person named William Peverel. The book describes the land, including farms and woodlands.
Bolsover Castle's Story
The Peverel family made Bolsover their main home. In the 1100s, they built a strong tower called a "keep." This was part of an early castle. The castle you see today was built much later, starting in 1613.
A famous person linked to the castle was William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle. He was a Royalist, meaning he supported the King. In 1657, he wrote a book about training horses. He wrote it while he was living away from England. His book showed pictures of his estates, including Bolsover Castle.
Important Historical Sites
The Bolsover area has three very important historical places:
- Bolsover Castle: A beautiful and historic castle.
- Creswell Crags: These caves are famous for having Britain's only known ancient cave art. This art was made by people from the Stone Age!
- Creswell Model Village: This is a special village built in the early 1900s. It shows how people thought about designing towns back then.
Old Railway Lines
Bolsover used to have two railway lines. But both of them closed down quite early.
- The first line, called the Doe Lea line, opened in 1890. It connected places like Staveley and Pleasley. You could travel between Chesterfield and Mansfield. But trains stopped running on this line in 1930. Bolsover Castle station was on this line.
- The second line was called the Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway. It opened in 1897. The Bolsover station on this line was called Bolsover South. This line had a very long tunnel, the Bolsover Tunnel. It was over 2,600 yards (2,399 metres) long! This part of the line closed in 1951 because the tunnel was in bad shape. Today, you can still see the entrances to the tunnel.
Economy of Bolsover
In the past, the main job in Bolsover was coal mining. Coal mines dig up coal from underground. But over time, coal mining stopped being a major industry in Britain. The two main coal mines near Bolsover closed in 1993.
Another big employer was the Coalite and Chemical Company. This company made special fuel that produced less smoke. They also made chemicals. The company started in 1937 and moved its main office to Bolsover in 1952. It closed in 2004 because people didn't need as much solid fuel anymore.
The Bolsover Hosiery Company Ltd was another important local business. It started in 1951 and made socks and other clothing. At its busiest, it employed about 500 people. This factory closed in 2000, and about 350 jobs were lost.
Sport in Bolsover
Bolsover has a history with football. A team called Bolsover Colliery F.C. used to play in the FA Cup. Today, there is a club called F.C. Bolsover. It was started in 2013 and has played in the Northern Counties East Football League.
Local Media in Bolsover
If you live in Bolsover, you can watch regional TV news from BBC Yorkshire and ITV Yorkshire.
For local radio, you can listen to BBC Radio Sheffield on 94.7 FM. There's also Greatest Hits Radio North Derbyshire on 107.4 FM. Another station is Mansfield Radio on 103.2 FM. There's also Elastic Radio, which is a community radio station that broadcasts online.
The local newspaper for the town is called the Derbyshire Times. It comes out every week.
Bolsover on Television
In 2007, Bolsover was chosen as a filming location for a movie called Summer. The film starred actors like Robert Carlyle and Rachael Blake. Many parts of the movie were filmed on the Castle Estate in Bolsover. This area is sometimes called the 'Wimps' by local people.
Other scenes for the film were shot in nearby places like Whitwell, Bramley Vale, and Shirebrook Community School. The movie Summer was released on December 5, 2008. The director and Robert Carlyle said that Bolsover was a great place to film because it felt like it had "been left in the past."
Notable People from Bolsover
Many interesting people have come from Bolsover:
- Steven Blakeley – an actor
- Charlie Elliott – an English cricketer
- Peter Fidler – an explorer and mapmaker for the Hudson's Bay Company
- Bill Leivers – a former professional footballer
- Ross McMillan – a professional rugby player
- Mark Morris – an author
- Richard O'Dwyer – a computer programmer
- Dennis Skinner – a long-serving Member of Parliament (MP) for Bolsover
See also
In Spanish: Bolsover para niños
