Tibshelf guidebook

Many people call in at the Tibshelf services on the M1 motorway without giving a second thought to where they are... unaware that behind that quirky name is a thriving and growing commuter village.

It was once a bustling mining village and the oil capital of Britain, boasting our first ever inland oil well.

But just like the collieries that were once Tibshelf’s working backbone, the oil wells have long gone, with just a commemorative sign at both ends of the village to show that they were once there.
 
However, commuter travelling has given the village – basically set around a mile long stretch of the road from Matlock to Mansfield – a new lease of life.

Lots of houses have sprung up thanks to its close neighbour, the M1 motorway – just minutes away from  the village – and the short driving times to the cities of Derby, Sheffield and Nottingham, all about 20 miles away.

But despite the influx of commuters, Tibshelf has retained its quaint community spirit that started with the mines and the growth of the stocking business many years ago.

The village still boasts the three-storey houses that were home to the looms used to make stockings which were kept high in the third floor of the buildings.

Positive Change

But with its big claim to fame - mining – long since gone, Tibshelf has started to cast off its former image, turning its coal waste heaps into pleasant country parks and transforming its derelict railway lines into lovely nature trails.

This has attracted new, affordable housing and the population has risen to around 3.500; it's now a popular place to live, and it's not hard to see why.

It has three schools – including a specialised sports college – five pubs and plenty of village activities, including a thriving cricket club which was founded in the 1890s, and a couple of small industrial estates which manufacture all sorts from textiles to aluminium extrusions.

Then there's the short commuting journeys to the big cities; the fabulous views all around – including to the nearby Peak District and what’s left of Sherwood Forest; the reasonably priced modern houses; and the peaceful, friendly village; it all adds up to an almost perfect country dormitory for city workers.

It might be just a passing landmark to motorway travellers, but Tibshelf is well worth a look...and you might even finish up living there.

Property in Tibshelf

Where is it? Tibshelf and neighbouring villages Newton and Blackwell sit alongside the M1 motorway close to Sutton in Ashfield between junctions 29 and 28.

They are also just minutes away from the motorway on the A6014 Mansfield to Alfreton road, about 20 miles north of Derby just off the A38 trunk road.

What’s there? The village is a real mish-mash mix of old and modern property. There’s street after street of terraced mining houses and three-storey loom houses, either already renovated or longing for some tender loving care, as well as recent semis and detached homes in smart, small estates.

Tibshelf is basically one long street with residential roads running outwards. At the heart is the quaint old village church, and a few rows of original stone built cottages.

As the village expanded, the stone turned to brick built Victorian cottages, and the centre is still dominated by row after row of former miners’ homes, built to house the coal workers as the village grew.

At one end of the village are a handful of new-ish estates of modern semis and detached housing, which were completed about ten years ago.

At the other end there is the big West View council estate, many of the houses now owner-occupied and vastly improved, mixed in with a few roads of new private semis.

Only a few houses have been built since the 90s, but a new estate of luxury three-bedroom detached homes is being built just off the High Street at Hardwick Gardens, and leading off the village centre is a handful of fabulous, big, and very expensive detached homes.

The village also boasts plenty of bungalows for the older citizen, and Tibshelf is still a high rental area, with many of the former coal board houses owned by private landlords.

The High Street has plenty of shops providing everything for day-to-day living.

Buyers: All the villages have been attracting outsiders moving to the area – this is mainly because of the great value for money, but also the good commuting links in all directions and the stunning views.

Prices have traditionally been much lower than neighbouring towns but they have begun to rise as the villages have become more popular.

Most of the new buyers are commuters or city families looking for a village lifestyle, and the new little estates and reasonable prices have attracted some first-time buyers and investors.

House builders have been quick to spot the potential hence the flood of new homes.

Pros: Right price, right place, village life, great commuting time, and the absolutely stunning views of the surrounding countryside, from the Peaks at one side to the rolling fields and forests at the other.

Cons: Parts of it still looks like a tired mining village, but that should change in time; and when the wind is in the wrong direction, the M1 generates a hum from the road traffic noise.

Surrounding Areas

Newton

This lies just outside the village on the Tibshelf to Alfreton Road. It's just a little hamlet, really; basically lots of bungalows and smart detached houses with a few semis and mining terraces thrown in.

There are a handful of new estates featuring semis and detached homes which were finished in the 90s. The village has a couple of pubs.

Blackwell

Next to Newton is Blackwell, a traditional mining village, made up of rows and rows of miners’ terraced houses.

In the coal heyday when the deep shafts were in full production, the village had about 5,000 residents.
 
One of its most famous sons was former miner Percy Topliss, better known as the ‘monocled mutineer’ who was shot after being pursued by the police when it was discovered that he had been involved in a mutiny; his picture is still on the sign of the Blackwell Hotel pub.

Nowadays, Blackwell has a population of about 4,500, and all the mining has gone, the last pit having closed in 1967.

It is dominated by a big council estate which lies at the bottom of the village, with a long line of attractive detached houses running along the main road away from the village, many of which belonged to the colliery managers.
 
Leading off the main road at Primrose Hill, the 90s saw considerable building of little starter homes and semis, some in cul-de-sacs.

Next to these well laid out modern homes is a new big estate of luxury four- and five-bed homes at Church View.
 
Blackwell also has some rows of terraced houses and plenty of bungalows.  There is one shop and a post office.

Living Here

Transport: 

Trains: Mainline stations at Derby and Nottingham, both about 20 miles away.

Road: Minutes from junctions 28 or 29 of the M1, combined with good cross country links to the major cities of Derby, Nottingham or Sheffield. Chesterfield and Mansfield are even closer, at just eight miles away.

Bus: Not a place for public transport really. A decent bus service to Mansfield and Clay Cross, but that's about it. You either need a car, or strong legs and a cycle.

Air: East Midlands International Airport (EMA) is just four junctions down the M1, about 20 miles.

Shopping:

There are a fair few shops at Tibshelf including three garages, a post office, a chemist and several convenience stores; enough to cater for day-to-day living.

Eating and Drinking:

There are several pubs in Tibshelf, all traditional and offering home cooked food, and there are a few takeaways.

Sports:

The Tibshelf Parish Sports Ground is on Newton Road at the southern end of the village and has two football pitches and a cricket pitch with a modern pavilion.

Tibshelf Tigers Football Club, The Crown Hotel Football Club and Tibshelf Cricket Club are the principal sports clubs in the Village.

There is also Tibshelf Old Boys Football Club which plays at the Tibshelf School playing fields at the "Top End".

The Tibshelf Community School, a sports specialist college, also offers a range of sports.

Within a short distance there are two golf courses at Brierley Forest and Ramsdale; the Sharley Park Leisure Centre with paintballing; and a boxing club in South Normanton.

Entertainment:

Local nightlife mostly revolves around the pubs. There are cinemas and theatres in the bigger towns nearby.

Parks and Open Spaces:

The Tibshelf Ponds are former colliery holes now flooded, some of them stocked for fishing. There are attractive walks and wildlife here, too.

The Five Pits trail, a series of walkways following the railway lines that linked the five local coal mines, is immensely popular with walkers.