Black marble

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You are talking about Cannel Coal. Used for making all kinds of ornaments. There used to be some examples in Haigh Hall. However over the years they appear to have gone A.W.O.L. !!!!!!!!
I pressume thay now adorn some councillors mantle piece????

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There was a small sub-post office in the Astley/Tyldesley area that still sold ornaments made out of coal, they might still sell them.

Not all coal under Lancashire is Cannel. Cannel is no good for modern use in so much as it gives off a lot of smoke and gas when burned. They used to use it for producing gas at gas works' and what was left was used as 'coke'. Those were the 'smog filled' days.

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Wigan is on the wrong side of a natural fault to have pits producing large quantities of coal. The coal you refer to, I should imagine, was mined in small amounts in shallow mines. The nearest deep mines, producing cannel, would be Pemberton/Winstanley/Abram/Leigh/Ashton etc. on the other side of the fault to Wigan. Are these the pits you mean when you say Wigan?

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Ive got a few ornaments made of Coal

But the modern ones are made of powdered coal, mixed with a chemical, and moulded into all shapes n sizes , from trains, to chickens .they look good, but not "Touchy Feely" like real coal

jj

Getwom, I think the cannel was graded from the other coal for the specific purpose of gas production. I do have a bit of knowledge on the subject as I have studied mining science/surveying at college in the seventies, but I've had a few knocks on the head since then! I'll try to dig out my old books and let you know what I find.

Mentioning cannel coal, there was a very large mural in the entrance to Wigan Infirmary carved out of a large slab of cannel,it was still there a few months ago it depicted a mining scene.

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Was it outside the Accident & Emergency entrance, Aitch?

Thats the one Tonker, but with all the demolition and rebuilding I dont know what will happen to it.(Watch this space)
Probably see it for sale in some antique shop.