[2] Preparatory work began on the mine in 1984,[3] but physical building did not start until 1987, with coaling operations beginning in 1991.

When the closure notice came in, it was partially lamented locally, but it was commented upon by the miners themselves as well as the locals, that the blow would not be felt in the same way as traditional pit villages as most of the men who worked in the pit were from outside the Melton Mowbray area and had taken the jobs at Asfordby when their own mines had been closed down.

The volcanic rocks were heavier than expected and had been putting too much pressure on the excavated coal seams below.

[8] Just before the closure was announced in August 1997, a massive flood and rockfall destroyed £6 million worth of equipment and the mine was closed leaving behind a possible 500,000,000 tonnes (454,000,000 tons) of mineable coal.

[10] Martin Weiss and Tom Leafe, in Coal Mines Remembered, describe the pit as a £400-million-plus folly: The two winding towers were demolished in 1998 and permission was granted to turn the complex into a business park.