Miners remembered with memorial unveiling at Markham Vale
Miners who lost their lives down a Derbyshire pit were remembered on Friday 4th December as the latest phase of an art project was unveiled in tribute Markham Vale.
Six new life-size steel figures were unveiled as part of the Walking Together memorial which will eventually feature 106 figures stretching between the village of Duckmanton, Chesterfield and the former pithead of Markham Colliery.
The walking trail symbolises a miner’s journey to the pit and back home again and represents the 106 men who lost their lives in three accidents at the site.
Eighteen miners died and 11 others suffered serious injury when the mechanical brake on a lift carrying them to the coalface failed at Markham Colliery on 30 July, 1973.
It was the third disaster at the colliery, following accidents in 1937 and 1938 in which 77 miners lost their lives.
The new figures will join two existing ones which were placed on site in 2013 to mark the 40th anniversary of one of the county’s worst mining disasters.
The former colliery area has now been reclaimed and is home to our £88m Markham Vale regeneration scheme which is working to create 5,000 jobs on site for local people.
Leader of Derbyshire County Council and Cabinet Member for Strategic Policy, Economic Development and Budget, Councillor Anne Western said:
“Derbyshire’s mining history is close to a lot of people’s hearts as everybody who lives locally will have a family member, or know someone, who worked down one of the area’s many pits.
“Our collieries were places where strong friendships were formed and where in some cases generations of families worked.
“It’s important that we remember those lost and provide a place where families and friends can visit and come together as a community.
“Great strides have been made to regenerate Markham Vale and we’ve brought over 730 jobs to the area and have welcomed many new businesses − but we will never forget the importance of its past, or the sacrifice these men made.
Councillor Western added:
“We now have eight figures in total − each figure will carry a tag with the name of one of the miners, along with their age and job role and will be permanent reminders on site to those who lost their lives in the three Markham tragedies.”
