Mining disaster artifact in North East historical list

Posted by The Journal on Jan 19, 10 09:40 AM in News

An artifact kept at the Woodhorn Museum in Ashington has been picked as one of the top man-made objects which sum up the North East, its past and its impact on the world.

The regional objects are part of the History of the World project between the BBC, the British Museum and a further 350 museums and institutions across the country.

A Hartley Colliery Disaster memorial drinking glass from the Woodhorn Museum is included in the list.

The New Hartley Disaster of 1862, in which 199 men died after being trapped underground by a fallen beam blocking the only shaft, provoked a storm unlike any previous mining disaster. The men would have survived if the pit had had more than one shaft, and the tragedy prompted a campaign to improve safety for miners that led to the end of one-shaft mines.

BBC project manager Seamus Boyd said: "A truly fascinating range of objects has been chosen for each list across the English regions.

"Some may have great monetary value, others little or none, but they are priceless in how they bring to life moments from history."

The regional lists complement a series A History Of The World In 100 Objects, which began yesterday on BBC Radio 4.

The series dips into the British Museum's world collection. Ten objects have been chosen from each of Wearside and County Durham, Tyneside and Northumberland, the Tees and Cumbria.

Read full article about the other objects on the list »

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