Sutton Colliery Explosion Memorial at Brierly Forest Park

 Brierley  Pit was the local name of Sutton Colliery,  in Ashfield  District, Nottinghamshire. The name seems to be associated  with a large tranche of miners who moved into the area to work at the colliery from Brierley  Hill in Staffordshire. Whatever the history  of the name the history  of the pit is dominated by the 1957 explosion which killed 5 miners and seriously  injured 25 others. The explosion  was caused by a methane build up and triggered  when materials from a roof fall  hit an electrical  junction box and created a large spark.  All the injured got out of the mine with help from colleagues  but the the local mines rescue teams rescued  two pit ponies  that had been left behind when the mine was evacuated. 

When the pit closed in the 1990s the site was converted, by the local authority, into a forest park. At the time of writing  (2026) the originally  planted woodland has started to mature into a delightful mixture  of forest , grassland and a large pond connected together by well made pathways. There is a visitor centre with café and a display of both natural  history  and the story of the mine and nearby is the memorial in the form of 5 stylised men's heads, each wearing the traditional local flat caps, representing the 5 men who were killed. This is the second version of the memorial.  The original one was  made from wood in 2009 by sculptor Robert Koenig but over the years it had deteriorated  and in 2025 it was replaced  by an almost exact copy in local sandstone. Whilst the memorial  to the accident  is distinct, the mine itself, so important to the community  over the years, is also commemorated, by the traditional mounting of two pit head winding wheels either side of one of the main footpaths in the park.

Whist the most unique feature  is the very original memorial,  a work of art in it's own right, the park in which it sits is a hidden gem in an essentially urban setting.