Year 8 National Coal Mining Museum

8 March 2024

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Last week the history department took nearly 130 year 8 pupils, across three days, to the National Coal Mining Museum near Wakefield.

The pupils took part in a Victorian workshop, which explored the horrifying working conditions that miners, including children as young as five, faced in the mines. They learned about the Huskar Pit Disaster which resulted in the death of 26 children and led to the 1842 Mines Act, banning all females and boys under the age of 10 from working in the mines.

The pupils also visited the 'Pony Discovery Centre' where they met a gigantic horse by the name of Finn, a Clydesdale, who stood at approximately 6ft, as well as the ponies, Eric, Ernie, and Bud. They learned about how horsepower increasingly filled the void of the women and children who no longer worked down the mines, with 70,000 pit ponies underground by 1913. The hardship of the lives the pit ponies faced was explained to the pupils.

The highlight of the trip was the underground tour of the coal mine. 15 pupils at a time crammed into the miners’ cage and descended 140 metres underground, wearing their hard hats and carrying their miners’ lights for a 70-minute underground tour. This incredible experience gave the pupils a small glimpse of the hardships a child in the 19th century working in the mines faced, as well as showing them how coal mining developed into the 20th century. All the groups were guided by ex-miners who had a wealth of knowledge and stories to share.

Despite the shock of having to arrive at school at 7:10, the horrific weather (Friday), travel sickness and a few anxious faces as we dropped 140 metres in a tightly packed cage, the pupils did what they do best and gave us something to be 'PROUD' of. They showed resilience and determination by throwing themselves into the dark (quite literally), by asking and answering questions throughout the various workshops, talks and underground tours.

Hopefully the trip has created a wealth of memories and experiences that will not be forgotten by the pupils and given them a sense of how far society has progressed and how fortunate they are to be receiving an education in a safe environment, rather than being subjected to the hardships and dangers children faced during the era of the Industrial Revolution.

Mr Phillips