About Bolsover District

The District of Bolsover
The District of Bolsover is located in the North East part of the County of Derbyshire and has a population of approximately 72,000. The administrative centre is the small market town of Bolsover. Not many years ago coal mining was the major industry throughout the district but all the collieries are now gone and the retail and service industries are the major employer. The district was always semi-rural but Bolsover District Council is now actively regenerating the former industrial localities and improving the environment resulting in many new and developing businesses being attracted to the area.
Bolsover Castle
The district has a rich, historical heritage: in the town of Bolsover, the  turrets and battlements of Bolsover Castle, high on a hilltop, overlook the vale below; whilst just a few miles to the South is the spectacular Hardwick Hall its construction ordered by Bess of Hardwick, the founder of a dynasty of powerful families, to reflect her wealth and power. Hardwick is remarkable in that it is little changed since Bess lived there giving us an insight into life in the 16th Century. Taking us further back in time is Creswell Crags, the limestone gorge riddled with caves and fissures where between 10,000 and 50,000 years ago Ice-Age hunters sheltered whilst following herds of mammoths, reindeer and bison. Many ancient artifacts containing carvings have been found in the caves; but in 2003 cave-art created by the hunters was discovered engraved in the rocks of some of the caves making the Crags one of the most important archaeological sites in Britain.
Bolsover District has a rich diversity of countryside and borders on the magnificent Derbyshire Peak District. The neighbouring towns of Chesterfield and Mansfield, and the cities of Sheffield, Nottingham and Derby are close by; and because the M1 Motorway passes through the district there is easy access to the country's motorway network. The district has adequate rail services including the Robin Hood Line which links Worksop with Nottingham and passes through a number of the district's small villages and towns. There are several airports all within easy travelling distance including Nottingham East Midlands, Manchester, Doncaster's Robin Hood Airport and Leeds-Bradford Airport.