Bircotes

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Bircotes is a mining village in the Bassetlaw district of Nottinghamshire, on the border with the metropolitan borough of Doncaster (part of South Yorkshire). It is located at 53°25′N, 1°2′W, and forms the civil parish of Harworth and Bircotes with its neighbour Harworth. The parish has a population of around 8,000 people. The nearest major towns are Doncaster and Worksop. The local school is Serlby Park.

Bircotes was founded in the 1920s, with the discovery of coal during the First World War and the establishment of Harworth Colliery, to provide homes for miners. It is the home to one of the last deep-mine pits in the UK, although the pit is currently only being kept on a care and maintenance basis. Harworth was also the home of Tour de France cyclist, Tom Simpson, who died during the 1967 Tour from complications caused by his use of performance-enhancing drugs.

See also RAF Bircotes for the former RAF Station located close-by.