In 2012, Dronfield Civic Society secured nearly £1000 of funding through a Community Action Grant to make improvements to a Derbyshire County Council site in Unstone.
The improvements included making safe a rather slippery and dangerous boardwalk using mesh weld. Groups of volunteers worked to complete it section by section at weekends.
Further improvements included the creation of a wildlife and heritage trail along the disused mineral railway that is known as Unstone Line. New notice boards with interpretation panels were installed at four locations providing information and images about the environmental value of the site as well as revealing fascinating facts about Unstone’s mining history.
The final part of the project was to reinstate the colliery date stone for Unstone Colliery at the site of what has become known as the ‘Engine Pond’.
Unstone Line is a pleasant place for a Sunday afternoon stroll in the summer for those interested in wildlife. For visitors interested in archaeology, the route can be walked in the winter and early spring when you can see the remains of coke ovens, colliery buildings and the rather unusual brick arches.