Bestwood Male Voice Choir

What They Say About Themselves

The Manor of Bestwood, a royal hunting lodge on the edge of Sherwood Forest, was granted to Nell Gwyn, mistress of Charles II who lived there with their young son, the First Duke of St Albans. The present Bestwood Lodge was built in 1858 by the tenth Duke who leased the land and mineral rights on the estate to the Bestwood Iron and Coal Company. Mining commenced in 1872 and continued until 1967. In the autumn of 1952, Len Hogg came to Bestwood as Colliery Manager and very soon afterwards the Choir was formed under the name of "Bestwood Colliery Male Voice Choir". However membership was never confined solely to workers at the colliery so that within the first year, the name was changed to the "Bestwood Male Voice Choir" which still continues today. The Choir gave its first concert in Bestwood Village Hall in November 1953. Over the years, the choir’s achievements have been considerable, having numerous successes at musical festivals and engagements with some of Britain’s finest choirs and regimental and brass bands, at the same time raising thousands of pounds for local and national charities. Overseas travel and hosting of visiting choirs have resulted in memorable visits to Malta, Canada the United States, Germany, France, Holland and Poland