Graham Price wrote,
I have a need to define the term 'historic mines'. Dictionary definition of
historic is "famous or important in history".
Not being an academic my initial reaction is how do you define historic? Do
you look at individual cases from a mining perspective or from a more general
view.
I tend to think of important historic mines as those that gave rise to
fundamental changes in mining practise or legislation. The obvious one that sprung
to mind was Hartley Colliery. Every coal mining student has studied the
disaster that led to appalling loss of life and a major change in mining legislation.
From a more general point of view Collieries like Caphouse and Big Pit and
mines like Nenthead and Killhope will become "historic mines". Not because of
any major part they played in the development of mining but because they are
the face of mining to the general public.
Mark
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