Five new statues have been added to the ‘Walking Together’ mining memorial at our Markham Vale Business Park, commemorating miners who tragically lost their lives in 3 major disasters at Markham Colliery.
The ‘Walking Together’ memorial trail by Artist Stephen Broadbent symbolises a miner’s journey to the pit and back and represents the men who lost their lives in the disasters of 1937, 1938 and 1973.
The new statues take the total of life-sized steel figures at the site to 93, and we are continuing to work alongside partners to fundraise to see the target of all 106 figures installed. This installation sees the completion of the memorial figures commemorating those men who died in the 1938 disaster.
The Markham Vale Business Park is being developed by us and HBD on the site of the former colliery. The memorial acts as a permanent reminder of the site’s significant mining heritage.
Our Cabinet Member for Clean Growth and Regeneration, Councillor Tony King, said:
“Installing 5 more statues to the Walking Together mining memorial brings us even closer to commemorating all 106 men tragically lost in the 3 accidents at Markham Colliery.
“We will never forget Markham’s mining heritage and the memorial is a place where generations to come can visit and learn about the site’s important history.
“As we work towards completing this important memorial project, I’d like to thank all of the sponsors for their generous contributions so far, including Tesco Bags of Help, The Duke of Devonshire’s Charitable Trust, Aviva Community Fund, public donations and Beam which have funded the most recent group of figures.”
The most recent additions are dedicated to:
Arthur Roper, 61, contractor
Albert Bell, 33, road Layer
George Cowley, 38, contractor
William Pickering, 24, haulage hand
Rowe Kirk, 60, contractor
We have been working with Markham Vale Heritage Group volunteers, Beam and local developers to recognise and honour the important historical significance of the area.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic it has not been possible to hold a physical event to unveil the latest figures. Instead, we have worked with partners to produce a short film as a virtual commemoration.
The ‘Walking Together’ memorial trail by Artist Stephen Broadbent symbolises a miner’s journey to the pit and back and represents the men who lost their lives in the disasters of 1937, 1938 and 1973.
The new statues take the total of life-sized steel figures at the site to 93, and we are continuing to work alongside partners to fundraise to see the target of all 106 figures installed. This installation sees the completion of the memorial figures commemorating those men who died in the 1938 disaster.
The Markham Vale Business Park is being developed by us and HBD on the site of the former colliery. The memorial acts as a permanent reminder of the site’s significant mining heritage.
Find out more about the colliery and the miners who lost their lives.
