Granville Colliery

[1] In 1823 Court Dewes sank the Common and Church Pits to reach the Main seam of the Leicestershire and South Derbyshire Coalfield at the site of the what became Granville No.1 Colliery.

In 1847 mineral rights were purchased for land at Gresley Common and in 1859 for Ashby Wolds, allowing expansion of the mine workings.

[2] In 1906 the Granville Colliery Company bought what was popularly known as the Shoddy Pit for access to additional mining rights.

This pit had had a number of owners including Moses Cartwright and its popular name was derived from the poor working conditions there, being liable to flooding and collapse.

[3][5] In that year the company employed 391 underground and 120 surface workers and worked the Woodfield, Kilburn, Two-yard and Yard seams; the colliery also produced fireclay.

[3] The surface buildings were closed in 1967 when the underground workings were connected to the Rawdon Colliery, Leicestershire (near to Moira) which continued in operation under the NCB.

[3] One death not recorded by the Durham Mining Museum occurred at 2:10 pm on 24 March 1911 when a gunpowder store exploded.

Bodycote was killed shortly after he entered the store with a horse and cart to withdraw explosives for the next week of mining.

The explosion knocked down trees in a nearby plantation and was heard as far away as Burton upon Trent, 6–7 miles (9.7–11.3 km) away, where a vibration similar to an earthquake was felt and windows rattled in their frames.

Bodycote's body was never found, reported as being "shattered to fragments", but his horse survived with minor injuries despite being thrown high into the air by the blast.