Our Industrial Story

In episode two, Julia looks at our industrial story. Without coal, the revolution would never have taken place. And Julia visits the Caphouse Colliery in Yorkshire, which operated continuously for two centuries before closing in 1985. She meets fourth generation miner Gerry Starkey who spent nearly 40 years working underground and shows her the conditions he used to work in. Until 1842, mining was a family affair and children as young as six worked in the mines with their parents. Gerry takes Julia 460 feet underground to show how early miners worked in spaces less than two feet high and how families would pull together.