iKnow Lake District
- Barrow in Furness
- Grange Over Sands
- Seascale to Millom
- Solway Firth
- Ulverston
- Whitehaven
- Maryport & Workington
Maryport & Workington Accommodation
Miners ready for a National March
Screen Lasses Having Lunch in their Canteen.Maryport Workington Tourist Information Mining History
Siddick St Helen's Pit, Workington located 7 miles north of Whitehaven was closed in 1966. It now lies alongside golf links running down by Workington. At it's peak in the 1920s it employed over a 1000 miners. On the 19th April 1888 there was an explosion, where the ignition was thought to have been caused by shot firing. 35 men lost their lives.
Holly-wood Guest House - Windermere
Stunning Victorian family run Windermere guest house, Short Walk to village & Bowness, Hearty Breakfasts, all en-suite rooms, warm friendly atmosphere, Parking.
£35 to £45 Per person B&B for normal…
Workington, Mining History and 'The Last Miner in West Cumbria'
Just down the coast at Moresby, south of Workington lies Solway Colliery, which closed in 1973. At it's peak in the mid 1960s this pit employed over 1,500 men. From the late 19th century onwards miners and their families in this area were in regular dispute with pit owners, alongside falling demand and mine closures. Miners in this area stayed on strike even after the 1926 General Strike was called to an end. During the 1930s the Workington and Maryport area suffered about 80% unemployment. In 1986 Haig Pit in Whitehaven closed, and apparently in an annual carnival a kid was seen on a float dressed up as 'The Last Miner in West Cumbria'. Mining is a hidden history of the Lakes, take time to explore it!
Davidson, John, 19 Apr 1888, aged 53, Under Manager, killed in the 1888 explosion (ignition probably caused by shot firing), brought out dead on 31st July McCallum, Robinson, 06 Jan 1906, (accident, 22 Dec 1902), aged 24, Hewer, He was hewing at the face of a longwall gateway in Ten Quarters band 8 feet thick, when a stone 5 feet by 3 feet by 16 inches fell from slips and a glassy uneven parting between the props and the coal face.
The place was closely timbered as the roof was known to be bad and there were loose props lying near. His spine was injured and he never was able to work again. No inquest was held. Morrison, James, 31 Oct 1894, aged 13, Greaser, When cleaning the road he was caught by a sett. Older and more experienced boys should be employed for this work on engine planes [Inspection made and inquest attended] (Taken from the records of the Durham Mining Museum). Visit also the Scottish Mining Museum for more information about mining history.
Visit also the Florence Mine Heritage Centre. There's a mining museum and underground tour in nearby Egremont, exploring the history of iron ore mining at this shaft, and in the area.
Holly-wood Guest House - Windermere
Stunning Victorian family run Windermere guest house, Short Walk to village & Bowness, Hearty Breakfasts, all en-suite rooms, warm friendly atmosphere, Parking.
£35 to £45 Per person B&B for normal…
