Coal Deliveries
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Coalman from the 1950s
Coal deliveries
All houses on the estate were built with fireplaces, both downstairs and upstairs, which were heated by coal in an age when it was the main fuel and in plentiful supply. The coal was transported in sacks, each weighing a full hundredweight, on open coal wagons and delivered by ‘coalmen’ who carried the sacks on their backs to the rear of the house and tipped the coal onto the path in front of the brick-built coal bunker.
Coalmen could be recognised anywhere, with their faces blackened with coal dust and their special hats with the wide strip of leather hanging down behind to protect their backs as they lugged the bags of coal.
Coal, however, had serious environmental and public health defects. It led to widespread pollution and was a prime cause of smog. The Clean Air Act of 1956 kick-started the movement towards smokeless fuels, especially in high-population ‘smoke-control areas’ – such as Manchester – to reduce smoke pollution and sulphur dioxide from household fires. With other forms of fuel and power increasing, domestic coal demand fell as did its use.
Coal bunker
This excellent photograph, donated by Neil Roland, shows a superb example of the shape, size and position of a coal bunker at the rear of number 35 Harefield Drive. It was used to store coal for home heating and provided a way to store coal in large quantities and protect it from the elements like rain, snow and moisture. Built of brick, it was capped with a concrete slab which was fixed. A wooden door, measuring 3 feet 6 inches by 2 feet 2 inches and held by two hinges and bolted, was easily opened and closed. The coalman would usually tip the bag of coal into the bottom part of the coal bunker, provided the door was left open. At other times, the coal may have been tipped onto the paving in front of the coal bunker and it was then the householder’s task to move the coal using a shovel or scuttle. The scuttle was a bucket-like container and served several purposes: it was used to extract coal from the coal bunker; holding a small supply of coal convenient for an indoor fire, and for putting coal on the fire. Most houses on the estate had several fireplaces including one upstairs. Some householders may also have referred to it as a ‘coal shed’ or ‘coal place’. It is doubtful if any of these bunkers still remain.
Also note the short boundary wall behind the man: it measured approximately 3 feet 10 inches long by 3 feet 6 inches high and separated the two gardens. In time, householders erected fencing for privacy but many of these walls are still standing.
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