Year 6 had a fabulous time at the National Coal Mining Museum on Thursday! After nervously boarding the "cage", they descended 160m underground to discover what mining was like in Victorian times. Strangely, none of them fancied the job of the "Trapper", which involved sitting in the dark for a 12 hour shift, opening and closing the door to let the harriers through with their loads of coal. A family only had one candle between them, and that would be used by the father, who would need it to see the coal he was hacking from the pit face.
After we ascended back to ground level, highlights included meeting the pit ponies and looking at modern day mining machinery.
After we ascended back to ground level, highlights included meeting the pit ponies and looking at modern day mining machinery.
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There were a few nerves as we prepared to ride the cage!