MORE than 100 pieces of mining history will go on public display for the first time, thanks to a charitable grant.

Beamish Museum, in County Durham, will create an exhibit of miners’ safety lamps, with the support of an £11,000 grant from The Banks Group.

The display, which will open in March, will include more than 100 lamps, most of which were used at and collected from North-East collieries.

Project leader Chris Scott said: “We are aiming to recreate a 1913 miners’ lamp cabin as part of our colliery exhibit, and are using both original artefacts and new items which have been manufactured to be as close to the originals as possible.

“Part of this project will involve creating a new exhibition space in which many of the items that we have previously just not had the room to display can be shown.

“The grant we have received from Banks will enable us to conserve, clean and exhibit what are important items of industrial and social history.”

Mark Dowdall, from Banks, said: “As a company with its long history in the North-East mining industry, it is an honour to be able to support such an interesting and important project.”