I consider source 5 to be a valid source in finding out about the accuracy of Big Pit. It shows how important wash day was in the coal field society, and the preparations that the miner’s wives had to make. The source says “It took all day to wash years ago. Because they had to boil the water in a boiler didn’t they! A tub, a dolly stick and a rubbing board. And then if it wasn’t dry, they’d have to dry indoors, didn’t they?” There would be disadvantages of drying clothes indoors such as having a house full of children. This source was written by a miner’s wife in Rhosllanerchgrog near Wrexham. It does not say when the source was written or why it was written. I consider this to be a valid source; through there are some negative aspects to this source as the person who wrote it was not from the area of Bit Pit. So it may not have been exactly the same.
I consider source 8 to be a valid source because it shows the accuracy of Bit Pit. It consists of two entries from a message board () reviewing their visits. It was written to share their experiences with others. They are both positive entries. The first statement written by statement, John Gill, County Kildare, Ireland describes it as “a wonderful experience, a truly brilliant tour and what friendly people.” The second is written by a year five pupil from Gloucestershire who visited with their school and says “It was very good, I’m going back to visit Big Pit in a couple of weeks with my dad.” I think they are both quite reliable sources. This source also has basically the same content as source 1.
In my opinion, the best experience at Big Pit was the underground tour. We went down the earlier root of the mine for a better understanding of mining life. Before we went down in the metal cage, we took the safety measures shown in source 7, though in the late 19th/early 20th century, the miners would not have had self rescuers or cap lamps. One guide told us they used a candle until the late 19th century. There were two routes we could enter on the tour and we went down the earlier one so we were able to see aspects of the late 19th/early 20th century. The collier at this time worked in the pillar and stall system. In this system, the stall was the area of coal hewed, cut and field into drams by the collier and his assistant, while pillars of solid coal were left to support the roof. The mining guide showed us the tools that were used in the pit such as the mandrill, hatchet and curling box. The full set of miner’s clothes and tools were set out in the exhibition. We were unable to take anything containing a dry cell battery from watches to mobile phones through the pit as the dangers of the mine are real even though the mine is no longer a working one. The safety posters on the stages of Carbon Monoxide poisoning serve as museum pieces and as real reminders of the dangers of being underground.
Bit Pit cannot represent work and life in a mining community accurately.
I consider source 9, written by Kath Davies who was writing an essay called ‘Cleaning up the Coalface and Doing out the Kitchen: the interpretation of work and workers in Wales’ in a book called ‘Making Histories in Museums’ to be a valid source to show that Big Pit cannot represent working life in a mining community accurately. Davies, a specialist in Welsh working and industrial life claims “Only the most accessible areas of the mine may be visited, thus the visitor will be unable to see what it was like to work in cramped and dangerous conditions.” She then goes on to say “Although effective, Big Pit can therefore only present an impressionistic view of what it was like underground.” And finally goes on to say “The only way in which visitors could genuinely experience a day’s work at the coal-face would be to spend eight hours underground at one of the few mines still working in Wales.”
A negative aspect of this source would be that Davies was writing in 1996, so the tour has developed a lot since then with the virtual tour. The writer also fails to mention the health and safety regulations.
Source 13 shows quite clearly that the work of the miner in the 1920’s was not really like the underground tour. The writer describes the following conditions: “The hewer down in the mine away from the sunlight and fresh air, sometimes in a temperature of 90 degrees, every moment of the day inhaling coal and shale dust, perspiring so abnormally as few men in other industries can realise; head throbbing with almost inhuman exertion; the roof, perhaps, eighteen inches low, perhaps twenty feet high; ears constantly strained for movements in the strata on which his limbs or life dependent, breathing always noxious smells due to the absence of any kind of sanitation, and gases given off by water and the often imperfectly diluted natural gases of the mine; subject at any moment to the terrible list of mining diseases, most common of which is the dread nystagmus, which may, if neglected lead to insanity; liable always to wounds and death from falls of roof and sides, and ever and over all the sickening dread of the awful explosion; such as a man is entitled to our sympathy and our respect – but what he frequently gets – is abuse.” Noah Ablett was a miner’s leader and would have known first hand the work conditions of the mine. However as miner’s leader, Ablett may have exaggerated conditions.
Source 16 is a valid source because it suggests that museums and galleries are important in our study of heritage but that teachers should make use of more traditional methods of teaching history. This source was found in a book for trainee history teachers, edited by Hilary Bourdillon. It was written for the book ‘Teaching History’ (1995). It was written to explain to trainee teachers how important it is to teach history outside of the classroom (e.g. going on trips to museums/galleries).
The negative aspect of this source would be it has no evidence that the writer has actually been to Big Pit, it just tells us how going to place like Big Pit can be very helpful when teaching.
I consider the people of the community to be the weakest point of the museum because it just seems to consist of posters and files with a few artefacts. There was some emphasis on women’s work and children, but these examples did not come from Blaenavon. For better information on things like this, it would be better to visit the Rhondda Heritage Centre or visiting the town of Blaenavon itself.
Conclusion
Big Pit has re-created the way mining life would have been very well. By having an underground tour and a virtual mine it has brought learning about the coal industry to a whole new level. It has incorporated learning and fun to make history more interesting and gives a better understanding of how life would have been by actually being in the pit rather than learning about it.
However, the people of the community part of the museum is a downfall for Big Pit as it is mainly made up of posters, sound effects, files of information and a select few artefacts which makes it quite difficult to follow or take information in.
Source 1 and 8 back up that the underground tour is the best part of the experience as I have said in section one.