New Ollerton is a town in the parish of Ollerton and Boughton, Newark and Sherwood district, in the county of Nottinghamshire, England, on the edge of Sherwood Forest. The population of Ollerton and Boughton at the 2011 census was 9,840. The town is close to the villages of Ollerton and Boughton.

History Industrial Revolution From the 1920s onwards the main industry was coal mining with Ollerton expanding greatly during the 1960s and 1970s, having the name New Ollerton.New Ollerton, Newark and Sherwood Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 11 July 2023

The colliery was sunk in the 1920s and completed during the General Strike of 1926, which led to a saying of "Ollerton was ever built with scab labour".

The coal mine was established and funded by the Butterley Company, having an historic base of coal and iron ore mining in nearby Derbyshire; they created a model village in Ollerton for the colliery higher management and workers. A hosiery factory was established in 1937 to provide work for the miners' wives.Model Villages of the Nottinghamshire Coalfield. Ollerton, Guidebook 9 "New Ollerton became one of the largest model villages in the Dukeries with approximately 932 houses by the Second World War. The housing at New Ollerton is very similar to Butterley's accommodation at Kirkby in Ashfield and was built by a company from the same town, Messrs Coleman and Blackburn". Miner2Major via Nottinghamshire County Council. Retrieved 1 February 2024

During the expansion of the pit, many miners from closed collieries in north-eastern England and Scotland moved to work at Ollerton. There was a large Polish community amongst the miners at Ollerton, estimated to make up roughly half the workforce at the time of the 1984-1985 strike.

Ollerton Colliery was considered one of the most left-wing pits in Nottinghamshire, and was subject to heavy picketing at the time of the ballot by the Nottinghamshire branch of the National Union of Mineworkers in March 1984. A miner from Ackton Hall Colliery, near Featherstone, West Yorkshire died at Ollerton when picketing during the miners' strike on 15 April 1984.BBC, Bradford and West Yorkshire, March 2009. Mining Stories - The Strike: Remembering David. Retrieved 2014-02-11 David Gareth JonesEngland and Wales Deaths, Retrieved 2014-11-21 was hit in the neck by a brick thrown by a local youth when he was picketing,Mullins, Helen Chad (Mansfield local newspaper), 18 March 2009, p.8 Miners' Strike 25th Anniversary, interview with Mark Jones. Accessed 2014-11-21 but the post-mortem ruled that it had not caused his death and that it was more likely to have been caused by being pressed against the pit gates earlier in the day. News of his death led to hundreds of pickets staying in Ollerton town centre overnight. At the request of Nottinghamshire Police, Arthur Scargill appeared and called for calm in the wake of the tragedy. However, several working miners in Ollerton reported that their gardens and cars had been vandalised during the night. A memorial bench was sited near the spot where David died. As a mark of respect for Jones, Ollerton Colliery closed for a few days afterwards.

Economy Regeneration The Ollerton regeneration project 2023 plans to transform New Ollerton which aims to deliver a state-of-the-art library, boutique cinema and residential, retail and hospitality spaces from the levelling up funds from the UK Government. The plans have been put into place by Newark and Sherwood District Council.

Ollerton Hall which came into disrepair is now being renovated. Ollerton Hall was purchased by Newark and Sherwood District Council for renovation. The hall will now become 8 apartments.

Sherwood Energy Village The colliery closed in 1994, losing around 1,000 jobs. A group of locals including past colliery workers had a vision to try to establish a new facility that would – at least – provide as many new jobs as were lost. A non-profit organisation run by 10 trustees was established to raise "...just under £50,000" to purchase the 125-acre colliery footprint from British Coal.

A further £4.25 million was needed to reclaim and clean up the land, which was redeveloped as an ecologically sustainable business park of commercial offices occupying 40-acres, named Sherwood Energy Village."Energy village rises from ashes of hurt community". Chad, 11 March 2009, pp.4-5. Retrieved 14 July 2023

Key-tenants, including Center Parcs and Nottinghamshire County Council, were responsible for creating their own buildings, with an emphasis on low-energy consumption by using advanced materials and technology including ground source heat pumps.How former miners transformed a pit into an energy village The Guardian, 12 February 2008. Retrieved 12 July 2023Sherwood Energy Village Reaches Full Occupancy D2N2, 3 October 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2023 Included into the layout was a nearby Tesco superstore.Tesco to create 300 jobs at Ollerton Chad, local newspaper, 13 July 2001. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2023

The original development organisation failed in 2010 and went into administration, citing difficult trading conditions after the worldwide 2008 financial crisis, having created 500 more jobs than the original 1,000 target, and having been awarded the inaugural Enterprising Britain Award in 2005."Energy village dream is over at Ollerton". Chad, 25 August 2010, p.2. Retrieved 14 July 2023

Amenities The town has a Tesco Superstore and a smaller Asda supermarket nearby.

The town also has a library.

References