Celebrating 200 Years of the Flame Safety Lamp
November 2015 is recognised as the bicentenary of the invention of the Flame Safety Lamp. This was one of the most important innovations in the history of mining as it revolutionised the mining industry and many feel that it kick-started the industrial revolution.
Explosions were common in coal mines the late 1700s and early 1800s. Miners used candles for light and when the naked flames reacted with a gas called firedamp, or methane, the results were devastating. This series of films explains how the safety lamp was created as a solution to this problem.
The films were created in 2015 by National Mining Museum Scotland volunteer, Dr Jim Closs. They feature illustrations by Tim Kingwell and demonstrations by Sinclair Sutherland.
Many thanks to the North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers and Dave Rimmer of the Miners Lamp Society for their assistance with this project.
Davy Lamp – Takeover Day
National Mining Museum Scotland also commemorated the bicentenary of the Davy Lamp by inviting pupils from Newtongrange Primary School to takeover the museum for a day! One of the groups developed a display telling the story of lighting in mines which will be on show in the museum foyer until the end of the year so make sure you don’t miss it!