Remember the Coal

12th December marks the 160th anniversary of the ‘Oaks Colliery’ disaster in Barnsley, the worst ever mining disaster in England.
To commemorate this event, a performance of “Remember the Coal” will be performed at the Miner’s Hall in Barnsley on 12th December 2026.
“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 the 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.

For information, email rememberthecoal@gmail.com

Miner's Hall
Victoria Road
Barnsley
S70 2LS