Coalville lies in North West Leicestershire and is a former coal mining town, as its name suggests. Coal was first mined in the area in medieval times, although there was little more than a single track until the early nineteenth century. The coal mining industry was at its height during the 1800s, with railway lines built to transport the coal from the mines. The mines closed during the 1980s and many local collieries have since been re-developed, with museums, shopping and business parks standing in their place.
Within close proximity to Coalville are many attractive towns and villages, including Whitwick, Ravenstone, Thornton, Bagworth, Heather, Hugglescote, Newton Burgoland. To the east, lies Charnwood Forest.
Sales administrator Julie Bywater remembers her grandfather talking about servicing the Coalville clock tower. He worked for Lashmore’s jewellers on High Street and the unattached young men and women of the town would promenade between this landmark and another local clocktower, making ‘eyes’ at each other and earning the walkway the nickname ‘The Monkey Walk’, which is now the name of a pub in the town.
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