Verona Strauss.comjust because life is fun! …

Verona and Robin at Hopewell Colliery

Today with the wildlife trust group I went down in a mine with an expert called Robin who has worked in the mines since he was 14 as a Freeminer.

We had to put on hard hats with lights on them so we could see where we were going because it was pitch black down there.

There was an underground stream which we had to go through where 3 horse shoes have been found, and a big cave with four tunnels leading out of it but only 2 were used because the other tunnels were still full of coal.

Some places were really steep and there were hand rails going down.

The underground stream led to the door to get out of the mines. It was at a metal gate which Robin had to unlock. He got out the keys and tried one into the lock; unfortunately it would not turn. I suggested he tried the other keys but he said he knew it was that one key, so he tried a few more times.

He thought that someone must have put glue in the keyhole! Then he saw another padlock and he put the key in and it worked! It was so spooky when he couldn’t unlock the gate and I was so relieved when we got out.

It wasn’t nice in the mines - it was musty, wet on the floor, pitch black, and smelled of coal dust; so I’m glad I’m glad I’m not a Victorian child working in the mines wearing scratchy woolen clothes.

Robin still mines for coal and the mine was opened in 1823. Ponies had to pull the carts of coal; my guess is the ponies didn’t like to work in the mines.