Coal Mining in Victorian Times
Discover how dangerous life was working down a coal mine. Learn about the job of a trapper boy. Learn about the transportation of coal and how the growth of the coal industry changed family life.
This 2hr workshop begins with discussion about what jobs pupils would like to do if they were made to work instead of attending school. Pupils will study photographs of Victorian coal mines and discuss what they think the dangers might have been.
Pupils will handle artefacts relating to coal mines in order to gain an understanding of what working life was like. Pupils will be chosen to act out a mining scenario. Pupils will also handle artefacts relating to canals and barges and discover what life was like as a boat dweller transporting coal.
Pupils will look at photographs of back to back house in order to understand the impact that the growth of the coal mining industry had on towns. Pupils will learn about the cramped conditions that families had to live in and have a go at top and tailing.
The workshop will focus on
- How the growth of the coal mining industry caused the expansion of towns.
- What the impact of the growing coal mining industry was upon families.
- The dangers of working in a coal mine.
- How children were affected by the changes.
This is a half day session session but can be booked with Victorian Schoolroom or Victorian Home Life for a full day Victorian experience
