I saw this striking photo online this week and whilst it isn’t about Blantyre, it is a stark reminder of the conditions these miners worked in. The person who discovered this said,

“Today whilst I was driving, Around the countryside, I came across this statue, Of a miner on his side, A rather striking pose I thought, What a wonderful depiction, Below there was a metal plaque, Enscribed with a description, It stands in Fishburn village, A reminder of the past, When miners worked deep underground, Before the opencast, A special breed of person, To go beneath the soil, Dark and often waterlogged, They carried out their toil!

The seams were sometimes 18 inch, Which isn’t very much, We can’t imagine what it’s like, The sound, the smell the touch! You may think you’re working hard, And life should be much kinder.

Spare a thought for those before us, Especially the miner. Durham Sweep Chimney Sweep.