Letter detailing money for ward for miners at Ollerton Colliery at Harlow Wood Hospital in Mansfield

Ollerton was chosen for as a site for a new colliery by the Butterley Company in 1920 after borehole experiments showed there was enough coal. The sinking of the pit started in 1923 after securing leases for working the coal seams in the area. The pit was completed in 1926, during the 1926 General Strike, a nine day strike which aimed to prevent wage reductions across various transport and heavy industry sectors. The pit remained one of the largest in the area until its closure in 1994.

Medical care was given by colliery companies to their miners as there was a large risk of injury or death. In New Ollerton, there was a doctor in the village. However, a hospital was also needed. A small hospital was proposed but was never built. Instead a ward at Harlow Wood Hospital in Mansfield, 13 miles away was used. This letter from Henry Eustace Mitton, agent of the Butterley Company, to the Duchess of Portland, local landowner and patron, speaks of the decision.