Extensive collection of photographs showing the history of Kiveton Park & Wales. This large section contains photos that have been generously donated to the History Society for inclusion on this website. They have be separated into the Photo Archive, People's Museum and Digital Archive.
Oral Histories were an important part of the 2007 History Project. During this time, many people from Kiveton & Wales were interviewed about their life and experience of the area. This section also contains some of the other audio clips collected during the project.
See the sights of Kiveton Park & Wales in our video archive! The 2007 History Project uncovered some fascinating videos produced in the large part by local residents. Topics include the history of the area, mining, History Society events and the Kiveton pit clock.
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The pit site as it is now, taken at dusk from the Colliery Offices, with the sun shining on the pithead baths, built in the late 1930s.
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Edna Miley, who used to work at the Canteen in the Pit Head Baths, with a clock presented to her when she retired.
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Pony tackle from Kiveton, salvaged by a Kiveton veteran before they were scrapped.
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A self-rescuer, of which there were hundreds kept at the Baths. Self rescuers were designed to give you a short amount of time to escape from the pit in the hostile atmosphere that would have followed a fire or explosion. The rescuer is like a gas mask and can only be used once. The piece of red solder on the top is to stop it from being tampered with.
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A helmet from the 1980s, complete with ear defenders and the clip where a lamp would have been placed (although lamps were mostly left around men's shoulders).
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A paddy, exactly the type as at Kiveton. This one has been salvaged and taken to the National Coal Mining Museum.
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These pitprops and the huge shields behind them protected men from falls as the face advanced.
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This is a kibble, a basic means of bringing men and equipment in and out of the pit. Kiveton miners, including 'Lynnet' Wilks, had to check the shaft at West Kiveton in one of these. The kibble was fastened to a locomotive, which moved up and down the track, bringing the kibble and the men inside up and down the shaft.
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This was used to carry explosive powder down the pit. You can see the distinctive yellow paint used to mark colliery property.
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A small case for carrying ignitors safely.
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This glass commemorates the 1984-5 Miners Strike and on the reverse has a picture of the NUM Offices.
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Audrey Gilbert, with a plate commemorating the Miners Strike of 1984-5.
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Original tallies from Kiveton Pit.
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Our stinky miners' soap! This stuff really smells, as all the children of Kiveton Park and Wales can tell you as it has been around all their schools this year! Miners would have been able to buy soap from the staff in the Pithead Baths.
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A key from the lockers in the pithead baths.
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A slate from the lockers. There was a slate like this at the end of each row. Many have now fallen to the floor, some of which have been salvaged and given to us.
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Minnie the Miner and some pit equipment. We kept it a close secret that our miner is actually a woman, with painted toenails and mascara underneath the outfit!
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A commemorative miners lamp such as those held by Sid Pridmore earlier in the collection. This one belongs to Lance Wilks and you can see just how small it is by the rule next to it.
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Malcolm Holden took this impressive montage of Kiveton Pit from his home on Station Road. Malcolm has been able to give us many photographs he has taken from what was a superb vantage point over Kiveton Pit.
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An ornate teapot with the name of Amos Atkins engraved on it. You can see pictures of Amos elsewhere in the site and we know he worked for many decades at Kiveton Pit. We don't know, however, why exactly he was presented with this teapot, which is dated 1894.
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An electric lamp of the type used in pits across Britain. The battery pack is quite heavy unless you're used to it and would have been worn in the small of the back.
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A close up of a Kiveton lamp.
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John and Holly showing the Women's Action Group Banner from the 1984-5 strike. This banner is a wonderful object and has the signatures of Tony Benn and Arthur Scargill.
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A wider view of the same lamp.
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A close-up of a nineteenth century lamp which we know was used at Kiveton in the 1890s.
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Just a few of the hundreds of books we've been shown by miners who used to work at the pit. Many took a real pride in learning about coal and the technologies used in the industry.
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David Walker holding a penknife and tally which he found buried in Thorpe Salvin. We've identified this as a hand-stamped Kiveton tally, probably from the first decades of the twentieth century.
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Kiveton Veteran Lance Wilks with his lamp from Kiveton Pit.
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Arthur Fitton, former ripper in the Barnsley Seam, and Ken Mawson, deputy and shortfirer in the Hazel, reminiscing about old friends while examining the surfacemen's book at the pit.
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Edna Fenton with a lamp used by her grandfather, a miner at Kiveton Park in the 1890s.
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Ken Mawson as a walking museum! You can see many of the distinctive pieces of a miner's kit in this photograph, including a lamp, deputy's stick and kneepads.
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Keith Gilbert holding his lamp. Keith's family go back many generations at Waleswood Pit and Keith worked underground and on the surface at Kiveton.
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Arthur Fitton, with a plate commemorating all his ancestors who worked at Kiveton Pit, stretching back to one of the original sinkers in 1866-7.
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The present view from what was the Pit Manager's Office. Imagine looking out over a busy, smokey, loud working pit, keeping an eye on what the men were up to.
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Ann Kay showing the tally on the penknife by found by David Walker.
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Ray Thorpe with a wonderful object, an original brass knozzle from one of the original Kiveton Park fire engines.
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Jock Costello and the Drayketts, with a variety of objects from Kiveton Pit: a locker slate from the pit baths, a first aid kit and a self-rescuer.
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Sam Hodgkins with a model of a coal tub. It was Sam's job to repair all the tubs at Kiveton Pit - hence his nickname, 'Tubshop Sam'.
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Deputy Ken Mawson with two of his lamps.
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Dick Grainger with his deputy's lamp.
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