Biddulph Town Council is delighted to confirm that new miner’s lamps have been installed on St John’s Road roundabout. Here’s some photos:
Lamps were originally installed on the roundabout, by Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, as part of a regeneration initiative, in the Spring of 2004. The artist was Tony Stallard (https://www.tonystallard.co.uk/).
Unfortunately, there wasn’t a maintenance agreement in place for the initial installation and the lamps became unsafe and in need of repair.
They were removed from the roundabout by the District Council in 2022, awaiting a solution in relation to their refurbishment.
Since then, Biddulph Town Council has worked with partners to identify funding and a suitable fabrication company willing to undertake this public art project.
The Town Council, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council and the Moorlands Partnership Board have all added funds to the project, with the Town Council taking the lead.
The original lamps could not be repaired. The community considered a range of options and replacement structures have been created by Pro-Fab (UK), based in Burslem. These new lamps are based on the more familiar ‘Protector’ mining lamp design. Solar LED lighting has been added to ensure the lamplight is functional, but does not require mains electricity. The lamps emit a soft blue glow after dark, as shown below:
3 plaques have been added to the lamps reading:
- The installation of replacement mining lamps was commissioned by Biddulph Town Council in 2024.
- Partners in this project were Biddulph Town Council, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council and the Moorlands Partnership Board.
- These lamps are dedicated to the mining community.
Ongoing maintenance will be undertaken by Biddulph Town Council, to ensure the future of the lamps is secure.
The community of Biddulph feel incredibly passionate about the mining heritage. These lamps represent the heritage on which the Biddulph East estate was founded. Residents wanted to see some form of public art returned to this site so that their heritage is not forgotten.
There is very little public art in Biddulph. Introducing these structures adds tremendous value to the cultural vitality of the community and promotes an appreciation of cultural heritage, fostering a sense of ownership and belonging.
The lamps were installed on the 16 September 2024, here’s examples of some of the feedback received:
‘They look fantastic – a great tribute to the miners’
‘So pleased to see the new ones, my grandad was a Biddulph miner, a lovely nod to the miners and the heritage of the mines in Biddulph’
‘Wow absolutely stunning and fitting tribute to our mining community’
We welcomed our partners from Staffordshire Moorlands District Council and Moorlands Partnership Board to view the Mining Lamps on Friday 13 December 2024.
Here’s a photo of (from left to right) Councillor Adrian Lawton, Councillor Christina Jebb, Chair of Moorlands Partnership Board, Councillor Ian Plant, Chair of Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, Councillor Nigel Yates, Mayor of Biddulph, Mr John Robinson, Biddulph Town Crier, Councillor Chris Wood, Councillor Kevin Jackson, Councillor Jill Salt, Councillor Ken Harper, Councillor Jim Garvey, Councillor John Redfern and Councillor Andrew Hart.
Here’s a link to a video of the event on You Tube: