wood pit and Lyme Pit Miners monument

A short walk from home
The explosion took place at the Wood Pit colliery in Haydock on Friday, June 7, 1878.
It is believed that flammable gases referred to as firedamp by miners, which build up as a natural by-product of coal, were released from a pocket in the coal seam.
The ensuing “very large” explosion tragically claimed the lives of 204 men and boys, and left 93 widows and 282 orphans.