Huskar Pit Disaster

Disaster struck.
`It was Wednesday 4th July 1838, a humid, sunny and warm summer day above the pit top. Over 300ft underground, around 50 children and 33 coal getters were cutting and moving coal, eager to make up time and money following four days unpaid holiday for Queen Victoria’s coronation celebration.'
This account, on the Penistone Archive is the best written account I’ve read.  I wonder if Lizzie wrote it, she was an excellent writer.
Friends, Jackie and Lorraine visited from Bradford yesterday.  I think Lorraine had read about the tragedy at some point as she is a keen local historian, so we embarked on our Odyssey just after mid-day.  From home we headed for the Huskar Pit monument in Nabbs Wood before then going onto Silkstone Church where the memorial stone commemorates the loss of the children’s lives. 
A young couple arrived at the Nabbs Wood site as we arrived and then turned up at the churchyard - clearly on the same`tour’.  It turns out that he is a coal-miner in Queensland and had become fascinated with the history of coal mining tragedies (they’d been to Aberfan) in the UK.  (I didn’t think to ask him if he knew of the Oaks Colliery Disaster that is commemorated nearby).  While we were looking at the restored gargoyles, which commemorate three local characters, the vicar arrived looking for her dog, so she kindly went back home to fetch her keys and let us look around the church where there is a modern contemporary stained glass window that commemorates the children’s lives.  We also came across a poem by Kay Buckley who was awarded a local prize for it in a poetry competition.  
We ended, what had been a very enjoyable afternoon,. with a very, very late lunch at the Silkstone Garden Centre Cafe.  The best fish and chips I’ve eaten since before our lockdown began