To allow access to the Top Hard workings of Bestwood colliery, a downcast shaft was sunk between 1936 & 1938 at Calverton, for ventilation, man-riding and materials. The 5.5m (18.2 feet) diameter shaft was 378.5m (1,241 feet) deep. No further development occurred until after 1945.

In 1950, when the Calverton colliery was officially opened it became the first new colliery opened by the recently formed National Coal Board. During 41 years of operation, the colliery produced more than 31,500,000 tons of saleable coal, with 19 miners killed during the same period. Peak production occurred in 1963-1964, when 1,487 workers produced 1,200,000 tons of saleable coal. Calverton colliery closed in 1995 and the site was cleared.

www.calvertonvillage.com/colliery