Coalville, a growing town.

Course target: You will be able to understand how the industrial changes in the 19th century affected the lives of a typical family. History Skill: “To use local sources to study the causes, development and effects of the Industrial Revolution on the community and environment.”

TIMELINE 1824 First coal mine begins to dig at Whitwick Colliery (Morrisons!) 1828 finally hit coal 91 metres deep in Whitwick Colliery 1831 railway engineer Stephenson digs two new mines at Snibston about 10 houses new railway line connects Whitwick Colliery and Coalville to Leicester Clamp family arrive in “Coalville” 1845 Railway connects Leicester to Coalville to Burton 1874 Whitwick Colliery company digs 150,000 tonnes a year making a profit of 12,000 pounds a year.

STARTER - This is NOT Coalville, but what does it make you think about the Victorian attitude to towns growing – were they all happy about it?

William Stenson’s coal mine of 1828 Stephenson’s railway reaches Coalville in 1833 – connects coal mines to Leicester Snibston mine opened by Stephenson 1833 New Snibston mine - Stephenson Before 1828 there were only 2 houses in the fields between 5 villages - but in 1828 came the first pit deep enough to reach coal and…….. !

COAL Causes Railway lines,Coal Miners to come and live. Coal Miners bring their families. Families need houses. Houses need builders and materials, brick and wood. Families and builders need shops. Coal goes out by train, food and materials come in by train. Miners, families and builders need schools, churches, pubs, parks, cemeteries, swimming pools, football teams, libraries etc. !.

Samuel Fisher, gives a fascinating insight into what the town looked like in Standing close to where we now find the clock tower, Fisher describes how, on looking down Long Lane towards Ashby, "we see a large tract of waste on both sides of the road, still traceable, covered with gorse- bushes, blackberry brambles, etc., with not a single house on either side of the way" until arriving at the Hoo Ash turnpike. [4] Then, looking toward Hugglescote (down a track that is now Belvoir Road), "we see a magnificently timbered lane without a single house, with the exception of White Leys Farm and the Gate Inn on the Ashby Turnpike". In the direction of Bardon, there were no houses until arriving at a group of five or six cottages on the corner of what is now Whitwick Road and Hotel Street, and in the direction of Whitwick (the modern day Mantle Lane) there was nothing apart from a smithy and a carpenter's shop, and the houses of these tradesmen. These would have stood on the site of what is now The Springboard Centre (formerly Stablefords wagon works). [4]

As the town began to prosper houses and shops on Long Lane were built and it was not long before other major housing developments spread along lengths of the other main tracks through the area. All this would have provided work for James Clamp Senior, the Carpenter from Measham, newly arrived as a migrant. Later on purpose-built, specialist shops were provided by traders to meet the growing demands of the people.

In the beginning the main industry was coal mining and the railway industry – making wagons etc. Soon, brick and tile makers, quarry men and iron foundries used the trains to get heavy goods out to market via Leicester and Burton. Women found work in the new factories (shoe making, elastic web manufacture, shirt making) which shipped their goods out on the railway. First time women had own money.

Workers at one of the early brickyards in Coalville. It was situated next to London Road cemetery on a site now occupied by the Scotlands Industrial Estate. Circa 1890.

Ebenezer Baptist Church As communities in Coalville grew, there was a demand for churches for families to attend on Sundays. They were also social centres which provided: youth clubs, sports teams, evening classes, dances and places to meet the opposite sex!

Take a look at Club Row in 1891 in the next slide…. It is next to the Mine, so you would expect there to be lots of miners – but what does the evidence tell you about the other jobs? Where are the managers, businessmen and middle classes living? Not in a lane next to a coal mine, that’s for sure!

1 9 residents 4 room2 tile makers Colliery Engine shunter, Coalminer 2 4 residents 4 roomRailway engine cleaner, Under manager coal mine, Coalminer 3 10 residents 4 roomEngine stoker, Wagon riveter, Under manager coal mine, 3 coalminers 4 5 residents 4 room1 quarry factory worker, 2 coalminers 5 6 residents 4 room2 coalminers 6 9 residents 4 roomBlacksmith, Stoker, Colliery labourer 7 6 residents 4 roomEngine fitter’s labourer, Carpenter, Painter, Driller, 2 coalminers 8 6 residents 4 roomCoalminer 9 4 residents 4 roomBlacksmith, Coalminer 10 2 residents 4 room2 Colliery labourer 11 9 residents 4 rooms1 factory worker, 1 Coalminer residents 4 rooms1 factory worker, 1 coalminer, 1 colliery labourer 13 7 residents 4 rooms2 colliery labourers 14 2 residents 4 rooms1 colliery labourer 15 5 residents 4 rooms1 coal miner stoker 16 2 residents 4 rooms1 coalminer 17 6 residents 4 rooms1 blacksmith, 2 elastic factory workers, 1 coalminer 18 3 residents 4 rooms1 blacksmith, driller The jobs in Club Row in 1891 What does this evidence tell us about Coalville?

1 9 residents 4 room2 tile makers Colliery Engine shunter, Coalminer 1 housewife 2 4 residents 4 roomRailway engine cleaner, Under manager coal mine, Coalminer 1 housewife 3 10 residents 4 rooms CLAMP FAMILY Engine stoker, Wagon riveter, Under manager coal mine, 3 coalminers 1 housewife 2 Mother’s helps 4 5 residents 4 room2 coalminers1 housewife 1 adult daughter & 1 quarry factory worker, 5 6 residents 4 room2 coalminers1 housewife 1 adult daughter 6 9 residents 4 roomBlacksmith, Stoker, Colliery labourer1 housewife 7 6 residents 4 roomEngine fitter’s labourer, Carpenter, Painter, Driller, 2 coalminers 1 housewife 8 6 residents 4 roomCoalminer1 housewife 9 4 residents 4 roomBlacksmith, Coalminer1 housewife 10 2 residents 4 room2 Colliery labourers 11 9 residents 4 rooms 1 Coalminer1 housewife 1 factory worker residents 4 rooms 1 coalminer, 1 colliery labourer1 housewife 1 factory worker 13 7 residents 4 rooms 2 colliery labourers1 housewife 14 2 residents 4 rooms 1 colliery labourer1 housewife 15 5 residents 4 rooms 1 coal miner stoker1 housewife 16 2 residents 4 rooms 1 coalminer1 housewife 17 6 residents 4 rooms 1 blacksmith, 1 coalminer1 housewife 2 elastic factory workers, 18 3 residents 4 rooms 1 blacksmith, driller1 housewife Jobs in Club Row in 1891

Now lets have a look at the whole town in 1887 – what was it like in this Directory?

It is a large new town, built on land in Hugglescote, Ravenstone, Swannington, Whitwick and Packington parishes. It was only formed as a district in In 1881 it had 500 acres, 450 houses and 2,200 people. It has 2 good railway connections with Ashby, Burton, Leicester, Loughborough and Nuneaton. It has grown because of coalmines in Snibston, Hugglescote and Whitwick parishes. There are 2 brick and tile factories, 1 for elastic, 1 for iron and 1 for chemicals. In 1824 (57 years ago) there were only 2 houses and now there are a lot of houses, shops and pubs along the railway. One day it is hoped all the new buildings will be cut out of the old parishes, and made into a town of its own. The Church was built in 1840 for 1,500 pounds. The vicar is paid 200 pounds a year. There are three different kinds of Church Schools and four different kinds of churches. The cemetery is 2.5 acres and was made in The town has gas street lights from the gasworks at Whitwick. In 1876 a Public Hall was built for 500 people to be entertained. There is a Friday Market. There is a post office, and two deliveries of letters come from Leicester every day. The post is collected from the boxes 4 times a day. Description of Coalville 1887

How do you think living in this new town changed the life of the Clamp family?

Using the pre-printed question sheet Coalville was a new district of 1841 Well connected by modern transport (trains!) Good communications by post 2,000 people and growing 450 houses and growing Plenty of coalmines for work Plenty of factories for work – especially for women Community facilities – cemeteries, Public Hall, Markets

Are you EXCEEDING? Can you use BACKGROUND/CONTEXT Can you CRITICISE strengths & weakness of sources Can you REFER to quotes and sources Are you GROWING ? Can you DEDUCE from sources Can you see POINTS OF VIEW Can you give REASONS why Are you SECURE ? Can you talk about BACKGROUND events. Can you suggest INTERPRETATIONS Can you SELECT, COMPARE and COMBINE reasons and deductions Year 9 Flight path Are you HIGHEST? Can you use BACKGROUND between and within periods Can you make JUDGEMENTS about USEFULNESS Can you show a range of PERSPECTIVES Can you CONNECT, COMPARE and CONTRAST

Use the notes taken from the slides… Higher and Exceeding levels - Opinions and judgements, background, wider links. Points of view – Coalville was part of the wider changes to the country in the Industrial Revolution….. – New things were happening all over Europe such as….. as a result, in Coalville they decided to …………” “some people thought… but others thought …….” Secure and Exceeding levels - give reasons and explain why things happened. “Coalville was better then because they had money…” “ the document might not tell the whole story because… “ Secure levels - Describing, making a list, story. “Coalville was……”