The Villas

The Villas comprise six pairs of semi-detached houses built between 1893 and 1894. They were likely designed by Brewill and Baily for the Bolsover Colliery Company, as part of a “Model Village” intended to house colliery officials and administrative staff, demonstrating enlightened Garden Suburb planning principles. The buildings are constructed of red brick, with ornamental eaves, gable cornices, and a Welsh slate roof. Large stacks are located on the central ridge and on the rear slopes near the gable ends. Number 4 is finished with grey stucco.

The houses are two storeys high and feature 20th-century windows set within brick segmental arches, which have central keystones on the front facades. Each pair is characterised by two slightly projecting central facing gables, each incorporating a canted bay window with a slate pentice roof. Number 8 has a replacement French window where previously there was an upper window. To either side of the central gables are a front door and a single-light window. A terracotta plaque is positioned above, displaying 'Anno' on one side and either 1893 or 1894 on the other. The sides of the houses have further windows, and the rears feature gables similar to the front, often doubled for extensions, with other extensions present in some cases.

The rear gardens are bordered by original outbuildings and coal sheds, along with walls and back gates. The houses were provided with a different standard of service than the general workforce who received a tonne of coal a month delivered by tramway.

The Villas form a significant group of historic buildings relating to the main square to the south and other village structures, and are set within the wider landscape dominated by Bolsover Castle above. The entire village ensemble is considered to be among the finest of its kind in the country.