Leicestershire - COLEORTON

Series

Series Name
Mining Review 20th Year

Issue

Issue No.
2
Date Released
Oct 1966
Stories in this Issue:
  1. 1The North East - NEW AREAS FOR OLD - 2
  2. 2Leicestershire - COLEORTON
  3. 3Nottinghamshire - MIDLAND PALLADIUM

Story

Story No. within this Issue
2 / 3
Summary
BFI synopsis: The ancient home of the Beaumont family, Coleorton Hall, as an area headquarters for the NCB.
NCB Commentary - Deep in Leicestershire’s county-side, not far from Ashby, stands Coleorton Hall, on the site of the Beaumont family home for over 500 years.
Few houses have had closer links with literature and art. Once, Sir Joshua Reynolds worked here - and Wordsworth - and Coleridge.
Today, Cole Orton Hall is headquarters of a Coal Board Area.
Sir Walter Scott planned Ivanhoe’s tournament scenes in the garden - designed by William Wordsworth 160 years ago.
Today’s occupants are more likely to be carrying files than poetry.
A cast of one of Michaelangelo’s works looks down on offices as mechanised as any of the area’s coal seams. From them 17 collieries are administered.
This, the 3rd Coleorton Hall, was built in 1807. In it’s grounds Scott’s old seat is still a handy place to work.
Head gardener George Haynes has four groundsmen with him. Foreman Vic Wymans has worked here since 1913.
Lead from the local Parish Church was used by Cromwell when he attacked Ashby, a full two miles away. The ruiins of Ashby Castle still stands nearby.
There’s plenty of coal under Leicestershire’s countryside. In its 20th century role Coleorton was prophetically named.
Keywords
Buildings and structures; Mining
Locations
England; Leicestershire
Written sources
British Film Institute Databases   Used for synopsis
The National Archives COAL 32   /13 Scripts for Mining Review, 1960-1963
Credits:
Sponsor
National Coal Board
Production Co.
National Coal Board Film Unit

Record Stats

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