The Industries in Our Area
Our largest and most varied collection, the Industrial Collection showcases Cannock Chase’s industrial heritage. It features tools, machinery, photographs, and company records from key local sectors including coal mining, toolmaking, brick and tile manufacturing, and power generation – industries that played a vital role in shaping the area’s landscape, economy, and identity.
From Fire to Furnace
Coal mining, perhaps our most defining local industry, is particularly well represented and the collection covers early mining through to the closure of our last operational colliery in 1993. Objects include mining tools and equipment, documents and photographs, as well as memorabilia related to trade unions, accidents and disasters, celebrations, and events. The collection also includes objects from the Mines Rescue Service, Mines Training Centres and even the Rugeley Power Station.
Beyond mining, the collection includes objects from major local manufacturers and prominent employers. These include edge toolmakers Gilpin and Whitehouse, Lucas of Hednesford, as well as various brickmakers and tileries.
A highlight of this collection is a small but significant group of archaeological finds related to early industry. These include fragments of Sir William Paget’s 16th-century iron furnace from Cannock Wood and a piece of a 15th/16th-century glass furnace from Little Birches, near Rugeley – testaments to the area’s long history of industry.
