On today's episode I visit Big Pit in Blaenavon with Mick and Jill Cunningham. Big Pit started life as an Iron ore mine in 1810 but the original colliery dates from around 1860.
Blaenavon is on the edge of the South Wales coalfield where the reserves are relatively close to the surface and so Big Pit was just short of 300' deep. It got the name because the shaft is elliptical in shape and allows enough room so each cage can accommodate 2 Drams ( Tubs) side by side. The colliery closed in 1980 and started life as a museum 3 years later.
Mick is a retired Mining Mechanical Engineer who's coal mining career was spent at Hapton Valley, Lea Hall and Daw Mill Collieries. We spent a very enjoyable day chewing the fat, sharing memories, fiddling and pulling leavers that we ought not to touch whilst Jill graciously let us indulge in our mining obsessions.
It is a great day out for all and I can't compliment the staff enough but special thanks to Adrian on the underground visit and Ceri for being so helpful with my inquiries.
