Eastwood is a coal mining town in the Broxtowe district of Nottinghamshire, England. Eastwood is a small town with the population around 18,000. Eastwood is on the border between Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.  Eastwood has got a lot of history Eastwood was involved in the industrial revolution. The midland railway was formed here but also Eastwood is the birth place of a famous writer DH Lawrence.

The town expanded rapidly during the industrial revolution and in the 18th century, Eastwood experienced the greatest increase of population density of any parish in Nottinghamshire.  By 1880 the population had increased to 4,500. Factories were built to accommodate the increase of the population and the industrial revolution.

In 1834 a historic meeting took place at the sun inn which to the current day is still standing and is a pub. This meeting was to disuse the midland counties railway and the construction of the line from Pinxton to Leicester. The industrialisation continued with the opening of the moorgreen colliery. In 1875 the demand for coal resulted in a railway station in Eastwood with services to Nottingham on the great northern railway.

There were ten coal mines within walking distance of Eastwood for the local people to work. Majority of the people who worked for the coal mines was male. Most women were house wives and looked after the children. Boy’s where desperate to reach the age of 14 so that they could start work in the coalmines. As the cal boom was ending Eastwood continued to expand and more people came to live in Eastwood. Nottingham Road became the feeder street of Eastwood this became a established shopping area in the 1908.

The local council opened offices but there were still little jobs available outside the coal mines. In the early 20th century trams provided a new meaning to transport between Nottingham, Ripley and Heanor. In the Second World War Eastwood supplied soldiers to the Sherwood forester’s regiment. There is a memorial on Nottingham Road at the top of plum tree way. It commemorates Eastwood residents who gave their lives in both wars.

In 1946 the coal industry was nationalised and the new national coal board acquired Eastwood hall as there Area offices. This later became their national office and the location for crisis meeting during the miner’s strikes of the 1980s. At its height of production in 19963 moor green colliery alone produced one million tons of coal but the last coal mine in the area closed in 1985.

Over the past few years tourism to Eastwood has become increasingly important there are a number of places to visit and find out information about Eastwood past. One of the places to visit is the Durban house which is a museum. They offer loads of information about Eastwood. See the link for more information about Durban house  http://www.broxtowe.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=4700