Here we are again, Dr Chill and the trip to South Wales. Well you certainly witnessed the total spectrum of the British social class. The coal owners built and lived in Cardiff Castle and those who paid for it worked down the coal mines, which were very unhealthy, and the miners were only paid a pittance.
The castle was spectacular although ‘relatively modern’, but was built on the site of an earlier Norman castle. The mound in the middle of the castle grounds with the ruins of the original keep was a true gem. The keep was the most important part of the castle and had to be defended at all costs. This was all right in the days of bows and arrows. With the invention of gunpowder and cannon the days of the castles were numbered as they had big holes blown into them. Nevertheless the modern castle had many interesting facets that you must have seen, like the almost invisible lady in one of the bedrooms?
And now, for the Big Pit! Over twenty-five years ago there were many coal mines in South Wales; today there are none! Coal from South Wales was once a strategic commodity as it is good steaming coal and was sold to the old railway companies with their steam engines and to the British navy for coal burning battleships. Much later South Wales coal was sold to the Central Electricity Generating Board. The mines died in South Wales because they became unprofitable, and it was cheaper to import coal from abroad.
There always had been acrimonious industrial relations within the coal industry between the owners, the government and the miners’ union. I will not bore you with the history but it all came to a head during the early 1980s. The miners’ union lost the argument, and the government began to close the mines permanently. The Big Pit is now a museum. Did you see a Davey Lamp invented in 1812, just after Dr Chill was born! The flame is protected from the outside elements that in a coal mine could include explosive gases. If they were present, however, the flame in the Davey lamp changed colour, so everyone underground could get to safety. The miners also took a canary in a cage down with them. If there were poisonous gases present the canary suffocated and the miners could escape to safety. Bad luck for the canary though! At some point pit ponies were employed underground, pulling coal wagons from the cutting edge of the mine to the cage where it was lifted, to what is called the pithead. The coal was sorted by hand and many women were employed for this task. Would you fancy doing that day in and day out? No wonder the miners sang, music lightened up their difficult and strenuous lives!
Dr Chill did his master’s degree in ‘Industrial relations in the British coal industry, 1900 to 1990’. Did you contrast the two environments? A castle and a coal mine, not many miles apart but in two different worlds. I doubt whether the coal owner who lived in the castle ever went down a pit, and a coal miner would have never been invited into the coal owner’s castle. I bet the canary wished that he lived in the castle; there were no poisonous gases there!!!
Well there you have it you lovely BISC Blog readers. Don’t forget to comment on the blogs and keep rocking and rolling.
Remember Christmas dinner at Alma Church on 5th December. Book early at BISC to avoid disappointed.
Until next time, this is Dr Chill signing off!!!!
