Coal in Britain (Natalie H.)

Coalbrookdale by Night (Philip James de Loutherbourg 1801)

Before the industrial revolution in Britain coal was only mined at the surface or in shallow mines. However as inventors created new engines eventually the steam engine (Samuel Crompton) the use for coal increased. They were able to mine deeper and in larger areas for coal with the use of these engines. Britain produced more coal than any other country. Abraham Darby also found another way to smelt iron with it that would make it less brittle than the previous method, and he did this by coking it. Iron could be used for military weapons, farm equipment, and many other things. The above painting is of the Madley Wood Furnaces which at one time were owned by Coalbrookdale. They were one of several in the area that extracted coal and Iron ore.

A Court for King Cholera (John Leech in Punch 1852)

The industrial revolution caused pollution from the use of coal as energy. It contaminated the air and water in cities. The poor work and living conditions as well all contributed to the epidemics of diseases such as typhus and cholera.  Physicians at the time didn’t correlate the coal pollution with lung disease instead blaming it on one’s lifestyle. This image depicts the crisis of public health in the city during the revolution.