My stay in Rotherham at the end of last week was fascinating in a number of ways. The area where my mum lives was once the centre of a coal mining area, but most of the reminders of that past have gone.
In Wath upon Dearne, in the northern part of Rotherham, a huge land reclamation scheme has landscaped former colliery waste heaps, cleared a massive railway marshalling yard, created a massive lake and country park, and released huge areas for new housing and industrial estates.
On a promontory on the southern side of the new lake, there are reminders of the past, and part of this is a circle of metal plates with designs from local schools showing the history of the area.
This collage shows three of the plates and includes a range of historical ideas - the old market cross, a range of buildings and forms of transport, and a variety of tools used in the coal mining industry.
Change is inevitable, but the scale of change here is amazing, and a beautiful landscape has been created - but I'm pleased to see that the past hasn't been forgotten (although the broken glass and weeds in this collage suggests it's a bit neglected).
A beautiful capture of the plates and a great historical explanation.
In a part ( South Limburg ) of our country have happen the same story.
All coal mines are closed in the sixties
Thank you Angela - two of us did solo projects before but didn't want full time commitment this year (especially Lucy who has just completed her finals at university), so a family project seemed a good solution. It helps link us together as a family too, even though we are in different parts of the country. Thank you for the follow!
In a part ( South Limburg ) of our country have happen the same story.
All coal mines are closed in the sixties
Thank you Bob - these were a fascinating reminder of the past.
Ian
Thank you Graham, glad you like it.
Ian
Thank you Padlock - I find the history of the mining areas quite fascinating.
Ian
Thank you Pyrrhula - the thing that was surprising here was how quickly many mines closed after the miners strike in the early 1980s
Ian
Thank you Ross, glad you like this collage.
Ian
Thank you Jacqui - it's amazing how this area has been transformed, and nice to find the history remembered.
Ian
Thank you Hazel - there were quite a few of these plates, and I think virtually every school in the area was involved.
Ian
Thank you Karen - it's good to see how the schools were involved in this project. Thank you for the follow too!
Ian
Thank you Angela - two of us did solo projects before but didn't want full time commitment this year (especially Lucy who has just completed her finals at university), so a family project seemed a good solution. It helps link us together as a family too, even though we are in different parts of the country. Thank you for the follow!
Ian
Thank you Tony - I thought that they gave a good interesting insight into the history of the area.
Ian
Thank you Molly - this is just a small selection of the plates there. I love the idea of involving schools in this.
Ian
Thank you Ann - it's nice to see the history remembered in this way.
Thank you Lynda - I thought it gave an interesting glimpse of the past.
Ian