Whilst Elmton is mentioned in the Domesday Book, Creswell remained a nearby collection of farming houses until the construction of a turnpike road along the present A616 brought added importance.

The arrival of the coal-mining industry in the last decade of the 19th century had a dramatic effect on the area and Creswell became the larger community.

In the early hours of 26 September 1950, a damaged conveyor belt caught in a machine at the colliery, causing the motor to overheat and catch fire trapping 80 men beyond the flames.

Serious errors prevented the fire from being extinguished quickly and only 57 bodies were initially recovered and 23 remained underground for the best part of a year.

The fire was finally put out after the entire colliery had been sealed to starve it of oxygen, and it did not reopen until Easter 1951, when most of the remaining bodies were recovered.

[3] The inquiry,[3] presided over by the Minister of Fuel and Power Geoffrey Lloyd, described a number of factors involved in the high death rate, including telephones being too far from the face, repair work being done on the "paddy" (the underground train used to convey the men to and from the lift shaft), inadequate air shafts and low water pressure in the fire hoses.

[7] Elmton and Creswell (known as Bottom Station) was on the Midland Railway line running between Worksop and Nottingham.

The new cinema on Elmton Road was a stylish art deco structure, built by the Rogers family and called the Regors.

As a council facility they included not only a swimming pool but also slipper baths for the many homes that did not have their own bathrooms at that date.

The Creswell Social Centre (previously called The Drill Hall) has always been the hub of the village, hosting parties and weddings along with sports and entertainment such as wrestling and boxing.