The Voices of the Bedminster Coal Miners project is about the life and times of workers in the Bedminster coal pits.
IMPORTANT NEWS MARCH 2024
PLEASE CHECK OUT THIS INFORMATION ABOUT CREATING A MEMORIAL FOR BEDMINSTER COAL MINERS
https://issuu.com/southbristolvoice/docs/south_bristol_april_2024_final_e7227054afe837
The Voices of the Bedminster Coal Miners project is a tribute to the miners and their families.
It is presented through historical context, poetry and live music.
The project evolved through discovering direct links with the mining community during family history research of the Garland family of Bedminster.
The production is a collaboration between Garry Atterton (local historian), Helen Sheppard (poet) and Charlie Atterton and Jakob op den Brouw (musicians), creating a unique presentation of local history and poetry accompanied by music.
Forty three members of the Garland family were miners and eight of those were tragically killed eking out a living from this arduous occupation.
There were four main pits, employing over a thousand boys and men, pay was low and hours were long. Tragically over a hundred and fifty miners were killed in accidents.
The miners helped shape Bedminster into a strong working class community, during a period of rapid industrial and urban growth.
September 10th 2021 marked the 135th anniversary of the worst mining disaster in Bedminster’s history, when many miners were injured and 10 lost their lives at the Dean Lane pit. This tragic event had a huge impact on the community of Bedminster.
“Have you got your heavy boots on for a tour of the mine?
Celebrating Bedminster's history of coal mining through music, poetry and historical context