Mining Items

A Steel Coal Wedge. A steel wedge made by Hardypick Ltd, Sheffield, England. This wedge is a No.397 and is 2lb in weight. There were seven different sizes of this wedge made by Hardypick – 1lb, 1 1/2lb, 2lb, 2 1/2lb, 3lb, 3 1/2lb and a 4lb version. Made from steel. Size 8″ x 1 1/2″ x 1″ inch. Weight …

A Miners Pry Bar. This type of miners pry bar had many uses from levering coal and rocks from the coal face and headings to moving and aligning machinery etc. The majority of these bars were made from old rock boring drill rods though this example is a purpose made pry bar made from strengthened 1″ and a 1/4″ inch …

A Dowty Hydraulic Pit Prop. This is a Dowty brand hydraulic pit-prop known as the “Dowty Duke”. There was an earlier design made by Dowty which had a different pumping mechanism and key. Made from iron. Size 3′ feet x 5″ inches. There were two types of hydraulic pit-prop of this same design used in the colliery in the 1970’s, …

A Pair of Colliery Dram Shackles. This is a pair of colliery dram or tub shackles, each with a five link connective length. Exclusive of the connector ends the lengths of shackles varied in linkage from one to five (in odd numbers) and sometimes longer in length to give a varying distance between drams to be able to carry long …

A Set of Brothers Lifting Chains. This is a set of two pairs of lifting chains known as “brothers”, two lifting chains with hooks attached to one large centre link. These chains came from Kellingley Colliery, North Yorkshire, England. Made from iron. Size 4′ foot in length.

A Set of Block and Tackles. This set of lifting blocks is from Kellingley Colliery, North Yorkshire, England.  Made from iron and metal. Size of the pulley body is 12″ x 7″ x 6″ inches. The lifting chain is 9′ foot 6″ inches long. The pulley chain is 14′ foot long in a 7′ foot loop.  

A Section of the Cwmtillery Colliery Flight Rope. This section of flight, aerial ropeway steel rope was found on-site at Cwmtillery Colliery. It is a half-lock coil, burden rope, this was the rope the flight buckets would travel upon while being pulled by the haulage rope.  The section of rope is 20″ inches in length by  1 and a 1/4″ …

Carbide Lamp. This Carbide lamp was made by the Maine Lighting Co Ltd, Blackpool.  Made from galvanised metal, iron and brass with a steel and ceramic burner nozzle. Size 8″ x 4″ inches. With handle the height is 12″ inches. (More information on the company to come).    

A Knocky-Up Board. This iron framed slate board is from the North Eastern coalfields and widely used down as far as the Midlands. These wrought-iron and slate boards were screwed onto the front of the miners houses upon which the occupants would chalk the time they wanted to get up in the morning, a “knocker-upper” employed by the company would …

A Belt Man’s Knife. This type of knife was used by the conveyor belt fitters, to cut the conveyor belt when lengthening the belts or repairing joints etc.  Made from Sheffield Steel. Size – Folded 5″ inches. Unfolded 8 1/2″ inches.