We arrived early in the morning for the long drive to the annual History trip to the Black Country Museum, near Birmingham.
In the museum, we learnt about the day-to-day lives of people working in factories and mines in the Black Country, called so due to the coal and smoke in the air.
First, we saw a mine shaft where horses would pull carts of coal through dark and uneven tunnels, while young boys opened doors, and young girls unloaded carts of coal, neither of which were safe jobs, especially for children. It showed how important an education was at the time, the man who knew maths would be in a nice cosy house while the children pushed carts.
After this, we visited a toll house, where we learned about how a middle-class family may have lived. Then, we went down a tunnel, armed with dim torches and helmets, we made our way through the dark and dingy tunnels that so many miners traversed through every day. We learnt about the ways that miners would have loosened large pieces of coal and the risks that came with their methods. Within this we also found out about the hierarchy of workers in the mines.
Next, we found out about what tools were used in the home and the daily routines of people. We learned about some professions that were prominent like chain makers, we also saw the canals that allowed the produce from the black country to be transported far and wide.
After lunch, we discovered the involvement of faith in work schedules and what school life was like. We took a small bus back and looked at some older cars that were used in a short film, filmed at the museum. We then came back to school, enlightened about the workings and life of the residents of the black country.
