Many of those who crowd the streets of Bedminster during Upfest or for the Winter Lantern Parade are probably oblivious that they are actually deep in mining country. For many residents, the idea that this was once an area where several coalmines existed and men emerging from pits covered in coaldust was a feature of the working day, has long been forgotten. Above ground, there are no surviving reminders of that history except a single noticeboard in Dame Emily Park. But below the nearby concrete plinth that was once a bandstand lies a deep mine shaft that was the scene of a pit explosion that cost several lives, one of hundreds of deaths during Bedminster’s mining history.
Tony Dyer will explore the tragedy that took place at the end of the nineteenth century and the wider history of the Bedminster coalmines.
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Austin Samson
Really well presented talk on coal mining in Bristol with particular emphasis on the Dean Lane Disaster in Bedminster.
I agree with Tom Dyer that we need a monument to commemorate the miners and their families and communities.
I was born into a mining family that had been involved in coal mining in Scotland for many generations.
I later worked as a mineworker in the South Wales Coal Field.
I have had a life long interest in mining history.
My Grandfather was caught up in a flooded mine in Scotland in 1934 .
He survived but his workmate lost his life.
I was working at a Coal mine during an outburst of methane gas which killed six men in 1971.
Death ,injury and terrible illness were never car away, even in modern times.
The mineworkers deaths at Dean Lane in Bedminster is yet another terrible disaster where we are reminded of the true price of coal.
I must say I had no idea of the extent of mining in Bristol.
A memorial to the miners who worked in these mines is long overdue.
Austin Samson