Wet Earth Colliery Pit Pony - Clifton, UK
Posted by: 
dtrebilc
N 53° 31.965 W 002° 20.521
30U E 543611 N 5931738
This sculpture of a pit pony shows it working a wheelused to haul ropes from the pit.
Waymark Code: WM12395
Location: North West England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 02/15/2020
Views: 2
The sculpture is in Clifton Country Park on the site of what was originally the Wet Earth Colliery, so called because of the amount of water that needed to be pumped from the mine during its working life.
Wet Earth Colliery
"At Clifton Country Park are the industrial remains of Wet Earth Colliery. Established around 1740, the colliery was one of the first deep mines to be sunk in the Irwell Valley.
Wet Earth Colliery is of importance for three main reasons. It was the first deep mine to be sunk in the valley, and had the first application of steam winding in the area. Secondly, compared to most other pits, it had a very long working life: from around 1750 through to 1928 - almost 180 years. Finally, it's association with James Brindley and his ingenious hydraulic pumping scheme for the colliery, which was in continuous use from 1756 to 1924, just before the colliery closed.
Gal Pit
Gal pit
This large circular brick structure used to have a wooden frame around which a horse walked to pull ropes up from the pit. For many years the Gal pit was used for extracting coal, as an access for mine workers and for pumping out flood water."
link
The Sculpture
"Commissioned by Salford City Council
2008
Life-size corten steel sculpture
1 x 1.6 x 2.5 metres
At Clifton Country Park near Swinton are the industrial remains of the Wet Earth Colliery which was one of the first deep mines to be sunk in the Irwell Valley. Salford City Council secured a Heritage Lottery Fund grant to bring what remains of the colliery back to life.
The three sites they focussed on were the wheel chamber which housed a water wheel; the gal pit around which pit ponies would wind up ropes from the pit; Penstock Arch which used to be a narrow shallow canal down which boats would carry coal out from the mine.
Scartworks was asked to make three sculptural elements, one of which was this Galloway Pit Pony. Local school children inspired the design of the piece in workshops led by Stephen.
The finished sculpture is located in the exact location of the old winding engine where the pony would once have worked.
The sculpture is made from corten steel which is designed to go rusty “ giving the horse a beautiful red colour."
link