Malago Pit Explosion
- GVHeritage Groups
- Dec 2, 2024
- 1 min read
by the West Street Heritage Group for Futures Past
A previous shaft accident had killed 5 miners on 9 August 1851, and a pit explosion on 31 August 1891 killed 10. An inquest on the latter tragedy found that the habit of the miners using naked candles instead of gas lamps was the cause. It didn’t mention that this practice was because the lamps had to be held, whereas candles could be fixed into the miners’ caps, thereby leaving both hands free for digging coal and thus earning more. South Liberty, the last pit in Bedminster, closed in 1925.
If you’re buying a house in the neighbourhood, you’ll very likely need a Coal Board survey to report on any underlying tunnels, and potential subsidence issues.
Shirley Small remembers a family connection to the mine and a pit accident
