Memorial built to miners killed in Altofts pit disaster

The explosion ripped through the deep mine at the Pope and Pearson Colliery in 1886, killing the miners along with 54 pit ponies.

A colliery tub has been built at Lock Lane Park, and is made of handcrafted steel and bears the name of those who perished.

The tub, made by mining engineers in Durham, is also inscribed with the names of five notable individuals who contributed to the history of Altofts - Sir Martin Frobisher, John Freeston, Sir William Garforth and The Hon Hugo and Emily Maynell-Ingram.

The idea for the memorial came from the Friends of Lock Lane Altofts (Folla), who felt the village needed to commemorate those who lost their lives in the disaster which happened 430 metres beneath the surface.

Christine Shakespeare-Ellis, chairwoman of Folla, explains “It’s really important that we recognise the sacrifices made in our village and also that future generations are made aware of their heritage. Hopefully, the memorial will help meet both these objectives.”

The group has worked tirelessly to bring their idea to fruition, and funding just short of £6,000 was provided by local Wakefield councillors from the council’s Local Capital Grants Programme.

Councillor Jacquie Speight says “As Wakefield councillors we were delighted to support Folla in helping to make their vision a reality. Preserving our heritage through stories such as this help us to generate a sense of pride and belonging in the local area.”

The explosion happened at around 3pm on October 2, 1886 but it took 10 weeks to recover all of the bodies.

The day shift had almost finished so there were few miners still left underground, with the report into the explosion suggesting hundreds could have died had it occurred hours earlier.

It was concluded that the explosion was caused by fine coal dust particles in the air of the shaft igniting from the gunpowder that was being used to blast out the mine.

The official unveiling of the tub will take place on September 23 with assembly at 10.45am ready for a one minute silence at 11am.

It is hoped that ex-miners may also wish to attend to pay their respects.

The tub is to be blessed by Father David Teasdel of St Mary Magdalene Church, Altofts, and local historian, John Hodgkins, will say a few words about the mining disaster.