We mine one of the most important things in Victorian life - coal.

What is coal?
Coal is the remains of dead vegetation which has been compressed over millions of years. It was formed between 225 and 300 million years ago when Britain was covered by hot, swampy forests. As plants and trees died they fell into the water and were covered by mud and sand.

These layers began to harden under the pressure of more and more layers. Some layers or coal seams were only 20 centimetres thick, others up to 10 metres. Since they were formed many of the seams have been pushed up or down. Some coal that was once was very deep is now close to the surface.

Why is coal important?
Our coal provides heat for people's homes. Coal fires warm their ovens for cooking. Steam locomotives draw our company wagons to rapidly growing towns and cities.

We help to run factories and railways. Coal is the fuel which powers steam engines in factories, on ships and locomotives. It is used for blast furnaces at iron and steel works.