Miners Memorabilia
A collection of statues and replica miners' lamps produced by Welsh manufacturers J. D. Burford and E. Thomas & Williams.
Alongside Wales's rich history in producing slate in the north, Wales is also famously known for its history in coal mining in the south. The country was so instrumental during the industrial revolution that it had the largest coal port in the world located at Barry, closely followed by Cardiff which housed the world's second largest. While most of the mines in Wales are no longer in operation due to colliery closures, several of the closed mines are now used as tourist attractions, for example Big Pit in Blaenavon.
In order to safely illuminate the mines in which people worked, Davy lamps (also known as safety lamps, or miners' lamps) named after their creator Sir Humphry Davy in 1815 were commonly used before the invention of electric lights. These lamps originated from another safety lamp invention by William Reid Clanny in 1813 but made to be less cumbersome. These lamps were invented and primarily used in place of an open flame light which was dangerous due to the risk of firedamp explosions.