What does the Montagu Pit disaster mean to the lives of people living today?
Local residents take part in creative sessions to help commemorate
the people who died in the Montagu Pit Disaster in 1925
A group of West End residents took part in a creative writing and arts project to explore the stories of the people who were killed in the Montagu Pit Disaster.
The project which was funded by Newcastle City Council and Search Small Sparks scheme, encouraged the Stories of the Stones group to think more about the lives of the 38 individual victims who are mostly buried in St. John’s Cemetery in Elswick. The monument located there serves as a collective grave to remember those that were tragically killed.
The creative writing produced included stories and poems where group members explored what they thought life was like for the men and boys who died and the impact it would have had on their families and communities.
The group got the opportunity to perform their poems at at a Small Sparks celebration event held at Riverside Community Heath project.
They also created cyanotype pictures, an early form of photography. These were able to tell the collective memories of the disaster and were displayed at the centenary memorial service held at Saint Margaret’s church in Scotswood.
This event hosted by Scotswood Residents group featured further artwork displayed by St James Heritage Group who also produced the order of service. The day was well attended and relatives of the victims of the disaster remarked on the presentations.
In addition to the service, there were two tours organised by St James Heritage Group and City Guides that enabled people to visit the location of the pit and the areas where the miners had lived. This helped the group gain a greater insight into the disaster.
Stories of the Stones group have gained more funding from the Lottery Heritage Fund. They will continue to work on celebrating history and making environmental improvements at St John’s and Westgate Hill Cemeteries. They meet at Westend Library on Mondays. For more info email Julie & Don at…