Remember the Coal

It would be almost impossible to over-estimate the importance and influence that coal, and the mining of coal, had on the society of Great Britain and arguably the world.

The Industrial Revolution would not have developed without the use of coal. Steam powered engines in transport, manufacturing, shipping, even modern warfare, would not have been possible without the power of coal. In order to obtain the coal, mining - both open cast and increasingly deep mining, required labour and this became a major employer from the 17th century right up to the end of the millennium.

"Remember the Coal" is a live, 2-man stage production performed by Alan Wood and John Snook, using a spoken narrative, telling the story of coal mining in Britain, from the use of child labour and the beginning of the Industrial Revolution up to the closure of the deep mining industry in 2015.

The narrative is interspersed and linked with original music and folk songs, augmented by a few audio recordings to further enhance the journey. Whilst the story inevitably mentions the disasters and tragedies that accompanied mining, it also illustrates the wider changes that took place within both mining and other industries, and British society.

The story is narrated by John, with the songs performed by Alan. The songs are all original, written by Alan, with the exception of one written by John.