HOLE 5: COAL CART

COAL TUB, COAL CARTS AND COAL TRAMS:

A coal tub was a small, open-topped container or cart used historically for transporting coal, especially in coal mines, to carry coal from the working face to the surface or a collection point. Before mechanisation, these were often pulled by pit ponies or miners themselves.

Coal carts were integral to Somerset’s coal mining industry, particularly within the Somerset Coalfield, which spanned approximately 240 square miles and encompassed 75 coal mines. These carts were also essential for transporting coal from the mining sites to various destinations.

Within the mines, coal was extracted and loaded into small, wheeled carts known as trams. These trams were manually pushed or pulled by miners, including young boys referred to as “carting boys,” who navigated the narrow, low-ceilinged tunnels to move coal to the main shafts. The working conditions were challenging, with some seams being as low as two feet high.

Today, around the local area, you can find some preserved coal carts being used as flowerbeds or similar memorials to the area’s mining history.