THE UNDERGROUND MINE - WAITING ROOMThe Black Country was famous for theStaffordshire Thick Coal, which lay beneath much of the area in seams up to 10 metres thick. “Into the Thick” is an undergroundexperience created by the Museum to show how miners worked the Thick Coal and other seams in the Black Country in about 1850. It is a drift mine, one accessed by walking down a sloping tunnel. At the end you can walk into a maze ofroadways and working areas, recreating the underground conditions in a safe yet realistic way.

The production of coal and iron were two of Britain’s mostimportant industries in thenineteenth century, and the Black Country was a major centre for both of these. Just beneath the surface lay the ‘Staffordshire Thick Coal’, a seam averaging30 ft (10m) in thickness.

The Black Country becamecovered with an amazing array of mines, creating large areas of dereliction and the risk ofsubsidence. Much of the coal was burned on the fireplaces of houses, but there was also a huge demand for coal in industry.

When you arrive in the waiting room the guide will ask you to put on a helmet/hard hat to protect

your head as the ceiling is very low underground - only 1.5 metres in places. The lamps are not very

bright as they are meant to copy/represent the poor level of light given by just a candle which is

what the miners used then when they were getting to where they worked in the mine. When you start

the tour you will be counted in and out.

You are asked to stay in groups of 5 and each group will each be given a torch for extra safety

at certain times but this will be turned off regularly in order to listen to the commentary, see the

models and really ‘feel’ what it was like to work in such dark and damp conditions.

Audio visual techniques and advanced electronics bring to life the working condition of

Black Country miners and parties of visitors spend 35 minutes underground with their guide.

Although it is dark and there will be an explosion to show how they broke up the coal it is really an

exciting and interesting experience. If there is a problem please call out to the guide or if you are

with your school please call/see your teacher.

Please never try to find the way out on your own as you might get lost and frightened!

SOME THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR DURING THE UNDERGROUND TRIP.

These were used for moving the coal. At the roadway junction is a ventilation door to help the flow

of air. The boy sat by it is just 10 years old though he will be working a 12 hour shift just l ike the

full-grown men. As well as seeing to the ventilation he has open the heavy door to let the coal tubs

through, listening for their rumble as they approach Woe betide him if he falls asleep; he might find

himself crushed under their wheels.

1. TUNNELS OR ROADWAYS

These pulled the heavy tubs of coal. They usually spent the best part of their lives underground.

Miners and horses looked after each other. There were many stories of men being pulled from

flooded mines - a big problem in the Black Country.

2. PIT HORSES

These were used to support the roof above. They had to be bought by the colliers’ boss (called a

charter master) and as he had to pay for them he used as few as possible, meaning that there

was a strong risk the roof would fall in. When all the coal had been mined, the props would be

pulled out to be reused elsewhere. This made the ground above unstable, causing houses to tilt or

sink down into the ground - look at our tilted cottage ‘Jerushah’.

As you go further into the mine the roof gets lower, down to about 5ft. This is where the coal is

actually being worked.

3. PIT PROPS

Miners lost pints of sweat during their 12 hour shift.

4. A FLAGON OF BEER

He leaves some support for the mass of coal above so that it does not fall down and crush

him. But when he’s finished he and his mates will remove these, and let large lumps of coal

fall into the cavity below. Lump coal was best for household use, because it gave plenty of

heat and light; that meant that it cost more.

5. A MINER CUTTING COAL OUT FROM UNDER THE SEAM

Miners loaded the lumps into tubs by hand. Small pieces of coal - called slack - were often sifted

out of the load using a special fork called a scoven with several prongs acting as the sieve.

These helped reduce the risk of a gas explosion

underground. They both have gauze that protects the

flame of the lamp from coming into contact with an

explosive gas like methane.

6. DAVY OR STEVENSON OIL LAMPS

Black Country miners preferred candles

if it was safe to use them because they

gave a brighter light. In case there was

any methane, the deputy or fireman (the

miner responsible for safety) would go down

the mine before the start of the shift with a

candle on the end of a stick, to burn off the

gas. This was very dangerous.

The base of the shaft can be seen at the end of the roadway. The miners brought the coal here in skips ready for lifting to the surface by long chains.As the skip is raised everyone stands clear in case the coal falls onto them.

Waggon Bank Mine, Old Hill, in the 1900s