The purpose of this publication is to portray the main surface elements of working Welsh collieries as they survived into the 1980s and 1990s - almost invariably multi-period complexes with structures adapted and re-adapted during successive rebuildings and enlargements. This book seeks to portray in simple terms the technology used in relation to these structures and buildings; and also to place them in a historical context. It is hoped that others will be encouraged to explore in greater depth the archives which have been safeguarded and to interpret further the 'archaeology' of what was one of the most significant industries in the formation of modern Wales. Contents Preface Introduction The Planning and Design of Collieries Collieries Underground Colliery Headframes Winding Coal Water Pumping Mine Ventilation The Use of Compressed Air Preparation of Coal for Sale Workshops and Stores Colliery Offices Pithead Baths Conclusion Glossary Surviving Colliery Machinery Gazetteer of Protected Colliery Sites Index

It is widely believed that the employment of children underground in coal mines ended in 1842. This book, in contrast, shows that young people remained an important part of the workforce up until the virtual demise of the industry in the late twentieth century. The Children’s Employment Commission was established in 1840 to expose the conditions under which children had to work underground; as we might expect, public opinion was outraged by what came to light, and a law was passed to prevent all females and boys under the age of ten from working underground. However, the lack of inspectors made the law difficult to enforce, and many females and boys under ten continued to work illegally until Parliament made school attendance compulsory in the 1860s. This popular and accessible book is a rich source of information about the working lives of children and young people in the Welsh coalfields, richly illustrated to include extensive work from Amgueddfa Cymru’s photographic archives.

The extraordinary story of the two early collieries at Neston, in west Cheshire, has been largely overlooked by historians. Yet, for a time the main coal mine, Ness Colliery, was more successful than most of its contemporaries in nearby south-west Lancashire and North Wales. It was the first large industrial site in west Cheshire and introduced the area’s earliest steam engine.

This title discusses Welsh miners, American coal, and the construction of ethnic identity. In 1890, more than 100,000 Welsh-born immigrants resided in the United States. The majority of them were skilled labourers from the coal mines of Wales who had been recruited by American mining companies.

Following on from the success of Volume 1, this book will consist of more Colliery photographs, with perhaps as many as 200 scenes portrayed from about 30 collieries not featured in Volume 1. The book will portray by gone collieries with more photographs on the surface and underground of an industry now virtually non-existent and just a memory. As with volume 1, the photographs are of high quality. The author has spent years photographing these mines and his techniques involved 'painting with light', rather than by using a flash gun. The effect is to create incredibly evocative photographs.

Colliery horses and pit ponies once powered the coal mining industry. This book reveals the suffering and injuries, but also tells us how miners bravely - sometimes fatally - attempted rescues from underground disasters. It shows how the horses lived, worked - and died.