The Welsh National Mining Mermorial

The Welsh National Mining Memorial in Senghenydd was created to mark the 100th anniversary of Britain’s largest mining disaster at the universal colliery in Senghenydd, where 440 men and boys lost their lives in a devastating explosion. The garden offers a place to honour those who have lost their lives in mining disasters throughout wales. The memorial garden is positioned on part of the former Universal colliery site. On the 14th of October 1913, an explosion tore through the universal colliery, shaking the village as underground coalfaces collapsed and mine shafts turned into roaring furnaces. Fire fighters and rescue men worked day and night, but bravery and determination were not enough. Although 18 men were rescued, death finally prevailed, taking 440 men and boys. An earlier mining disaster at the colliery had already claimed the lives of 81 miners. The youngest of the boys who died was 14. The subsequent inquiry of the 1913 disaster revealed that the mine management had failed to comply with the regulations. They were found guilty and fined one shilling and a penny farthing, an equivalent £24 with £10 costs.

 The statue was designed by Les Johnson, this bronze statue depicts a rescue worker coming to the aid of a survivor after a mining disaster. Dedicated to all those who lost their lives to coal. The memorial has a wall of remembrance dedicated to the victims of the two Universal disasters of 1901 and 1912. Individual tiles are dedicated to each person killed. Local volunteers and school children helped ceramicist Ned Heywood make the tiles, using hand-fired clay. The memorial garden was designed by Stephanie Wilkins, the garden uses materials and methods utilised in the surrounding community’s e.g. sandstone, lime and coal mortar and reflect the landscape of wales. Giant oats represent the horses that suffered too, and the ‘pinhead planting’ represents the bodies found.

 

This picture above gives a good representation of patteren, the tiles are in two rows and repeats it self over and over agin.

 

 

The last image can be photoshopped and turened into a silhouette showing shape