This memorial to the miners has been erected on the Globe Island, Rugeley to ensure that Brereton and Lea Hall Collieries and the lives of the miners lost will be commemorated as a lasting tribute for their contribution to the local community and the country at large.
CHAPS was approached for advice and support early in 2013. Two members of Lea Hall and Brereton Collieries Memorial Welfare Society [LHBCMS] were co-opted onto CHAPS for ease of working. The memorial was funded by a grant of £70,000 from Cannock Chase Council.
Mike Mellor worked with LHBMS and artist Andy DeComyn to finalise drawings which he then presented to the Council for approval. CHAPS continued their support, Mike Mellor acting as Project Manager alongside some members of LHBCMS throughout the creating of the four miners’ statues; their transportation to Rugeley; their fixing on the Globe Island and the subsequent Dedication Service on 13th September 2015.
The four statues represent mining through the ages, and each face towards one of the roads leading from the Globe Island.
Statue One: “The Brereton Miner”, looks towards Brereton, and pays homage to the early miners of the district. He is wearing a cloth cap, which was commonly worn in mines until 1950 and is carrying a miner’s pike.
Statue Two: “The Rescue Miner” looks towards Hednesford and the mines rescue station that served the whole of the Cannock Chase Coalfield. He is wearing the proto breathing apparatus, which was the mainstay in the British coalfields for nearly one hundred years.
Statue Three: “The Lea Hall Miner” looks towards the Western Springs Road. He is wearing a compressed paper helmet, which was still common in 1960 when Lea Hall Colliery opened. He is holding a shovel as mechanisation was still developing.
Statue Four: “The Deputy Miner” looking down into the town centre represents the importance that safety played in coal mines, the miners flame safety lamp hanging from his belt was a proven and reliable means of testing for explosive or poisonous gases found in mines.
A plaque with the engraved names of the 116 miners who had been killed at these collieries was produced and mounted on a plinth on the pedestrian footpath facing the statues of the miners.
The statues have become a local landmark – the island is now referred to as “The Miners’ Island” rather than “Globe Island”. Visitors instantly recognise the importance of coal mining to the area
This glass mural featuring the black metal silhouettes of a miner and stag, gave Lea Hall Social Club a landmark entrance. The piece created by glass artist Jaqueline Cooley, very much involved its users and committee members in its design.
This creative journey involved community workshops where local residents created their own glass artworks to visiting the artists studio, where they applied enamels onto sheet glass and kiln fired to achieve its colourful background.
The project was part of a wider initiative working in partnership with Cannock Chase Council Arts Development Service, Staffordshire County Council Arts Service and was inspired by a Craftspace Touring contemporary craft exhibition being housed in their facility. The entrance feature was unveiled in December 2007, and still has a strong presence to this day.
The mural is very accessible and can be viewed all year round.