The Dynamo House
This building is a former electrical sub-station serving the colliery. The internal equipment was removed and the building restored to be used as a community space. It is often the focal point for events happening in the park.
There are display boards in the Dynamo House explaining the history of the park, village and colliery along with a cabinet of relevant items such as a Davy lamp and a miner's snap tin. There are photo displays and albums showing the history of the site and the progress of the refurbishment. The Dynamo House offers full accessible toilet facilities (including baby changing table) on days it is open.
Some activities are occasionally affected by Covid-19 restrictions so please check the What's on (and off!) page for the current situation.
The Dynamo House Café opens every Saturday morning from 9.30am to 12.30pm, summer Sundays from 2pm - 4pm and on special occasions such as Bank Holidays. Best to check specific times and dates on the What's On page. It is run by the FoBCP and their team of volunteers who bake and serve in the café. The café had humble beginnings in July 2012 with two volunteers, a kettle and some instant coffee. Later that year home-baked cake was added to the menu along with additional volunteers to serve the refreshments. Councillor Chris Barnfather helped this community enterprise raise its game in 2013 with a donation from his discretionary fund to buy some new equipment, including a great filter-coffee maker and some cake display domes - not that the home-baked cakes last long enough to go stale! The café welcomes well behaved doggies and usually has free dog treats available at the counter to keep our furry friends bringing you back for more.
On the first Saturday of any month the cafe opening coincides with the Mini-Miners Activities session. (These are currently suspended due to the covid restrictions) We offer free crafting activities for our younger visitors. These often have a heritage or environmental theme, such as making collage pictures of the Winding Engine House or creating a mobile of leaves, flowers and feathers. You can see some of our previous creations here.
We have also held "Repair Cafe" sessions in the Dynamo House offering to repair clothes free of charge while you enjoy your cake. We have tackled broken zips, ripped pockets and dangling hems and prefer to show you how it's done so you can have a go yourself next time.
The Dynamo House is the venue for community workshops such as the "Spring into Bestwood" events held in spring 2013 and the "Inspire Embroidery Workshop" held in Spring 2022. Look out for other similar events taking place here.
The Dynamo House is the venue for several regular village events including the monthly "Crafternoon" session where you are welcome to join in with some creating crafts over a cup of tea or coffee. There are also occasional "Knit and Natter" sessions and "Games Afternoons". Look out for posters displayed in the Dynamo House for details of the dates. All these activities are open to all and are free.
The room can be hired for events and makes a great classroom, workshop or activity space. We have hosted birthday parties, children's parties, Baby Showers, New Year's Eve gatherings, funeral wakes, baby naming ceremonies and first aid training sessions. For further information contact Sue McDonald on 0115 975 3782.
Below are a few shots of the Dynamo House but there are more in the gallery.
There are display boards in the Dynamo House explaining the history of the park, village and colliery along with a cabinet of relevant items such as a Davy lamp and a miner's snap tin. There are photo displays and albums showing the history of the site and the progress of the refurbishment. The Dynamo House offers full accessible toilet facilities (including baby changing table) on days it is open.
Some activities are occasionally affected by Covid-19 restrictions so please check the What's on (and off!) page for the current situation.
The Dynamo House Café opens every Saturday morning from 9.30am to 12.30pm, summer Sundays from 2pm - 4pm and on special occasions such as Bank Holidays. Best to check specific times and dates on the What's On page. It is run by the FoBCP and their team of volunteers who bake and serve in the café. The café had humble beginnings in July 2012 with two volunteers, a kettle and some instant coffee. Later that year home-baked cake was added to the menu along with additional volunteers to serve the refreshments. Councillor Chris Barnfather helped this community enterprise raise its game in 2013 with a donation from his discretionary fund to buy some new equipment, including a great filter-coffee maker and some cake display domes - not that the home-baked cakes last long enough to go stale! The café welcomes well behaved doggies and usually has free dog treats available at the counter to keep our furry friends bringing you back for more.
On the first Saturday of any month the cafe opening coincides with the Mini-Miners Activities session. (These are currently suspended due to the covid restrictions) We offer free crafting activities for our younger visitors. These often have a heritage or environmental theme, such as making collage pictures of the Winding Engine House or creating a mobile of leaves, flowers and feathers. You can see some of our previous creations here.
We have also held "Repair Cafe" sessions in the Dynamo House offering to repair clothes free of charge while you enjoy your cake. We have tackled broken zips, ripped pockets and dangling hems and prefer to show you how it's done so you can have a go yourself next time.
The Dynamo House is the venue for community workshops such as the "Spring into Bestwood" events held in spring 2013 and the "Inspire Embroidery Workshop" held in Spring 2022. Look out for other similar events taking place here.
The Dynamo House is the venue for several regular village events including the monthly "Crafternoon" session where you are welcome to join in with some creating crafts over a cup of tea or coffee. There are also occasional "Knit and Natter" sessions and "Games Afternoons". Look out for posters displayed in the Dynamo House for details of the dates. All these activities are open to all and are free.
The room can be hired for events and makes a great classroom, workshop or activity space. We have hosted birthday parties, children's parties, Baby Showers, New Year's Eve gatherings, funeral wakes, baby naming ceremonies and first aid training sessions. For further information contact Sue McDonald on 0115 975 3782.
Below are a few shots of the Dynamo House but there are more in the gallery.
