IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Pitt Lane, COALVILLE, LE67 8FS

Coleorton Moor, looking south from near The Angel Inn, with Pilgrim Cottage on the left, up towards Pitt Lane a couple of hundred yards up on the right. Going on past Pitt Lane, the Moor itself leads on to Sinope and the curiously named Botany Bay. The whole area of Coleorton, and particularly in the village itself, is literally festooned with public footpaths that criss-cross the surrounding fields enough to show the red-dotted lines quite densely on Ordnance Survey maps.

The Queen's Head stopped being an inn some time in the late 19th or early 20th century.

A pond, formed by damming the stream whose spring is near to the old 19th century pit workings and spoil heap, and then runs north-east to help fill the lake at Coleorton Pool, itself formerly within the grounds of Coleorton Hall. Curiously, the stream doesn't show on the OS map, perhaps because it runs almost directly along a blue grid line. On emerging from the Pool, it does show, running north past Breedon on the Hill and Tongue, to spill directly into the Trent near King's Newton.

An ancient hostelry, dating at least back to mail coach days, built in local red brick albeit now rendered, and with addition of front porch and chimney and extension at the rear.

A new plantation, as part of the greater National Forest. The site was formerly Coleorton Pit, or colliery, but long since closed, perhaps by the First World War. Two primitive shafts were sunk, and gained the local nicknames of 'Bug' and 'Wink'. In fields alongside this new reserve can still be seen the remains of spoilheaps that were well grassed over even by the 1950's. The access lane, running west off The Moor, was formerly and naturally just Pit Lane, but had an extra 'T' added by the 1950's to make it look as if it were a latent tribute to the famous prime-minister, William Pitt.

A rather poor image of The Angel Inn around 2004, on an early generation digital camera. The old mail coach has gone, and the inn now sports an extension and a new chimney at the front. Rather less large mature trees than in former years, but a lot less coal and quarry dust around, and altogether a much healthier place.

Taken from very close by the 1955 image, note the same telegraph pole on the left. Apart from the road markings, better road surface and edging, and of course, the cars in the pub car park, the scene has changed very little in 50 years.

Taken around 1955, this b&w image was photo-tinted, and now digitally enhanced. The Angel Inn is an ancient hostelry, and after this was taken, sported a full-sized yellow mail coach outside for several years, but now long gone. This 50-year old view shows how many large and mature trees there were at that time, compared to now. Also, by the 60's, the leaves of hedgerows and trees were covered in a fine, greyish dust for much of each summer, the product of several local quarries and coalmines, spoilheaps, etc.

The Moor. Now under the same ownership as the Tap House at Smisby.