Candlestick

A rainy day visit to Whitehaven turned into a fine afternoon so we got to enjoy sweeping views over the harbour and north up the Westmorland coastline to Scotland.

The chimney in the foreground, known as the Candlestick, provided ventilation for the Wellington Pit workings which dominated the headland on the south side of the town. Wellington was the scene of one of the worst coal mining disasters, with 136 colliers losing their lives on May 11 1910. The headland itself is now one large outdoor installation, with poetry, mosaics, memorials and statues commemorating both the coalmining past and the infamous attack on Whitehaven by the US Navy during the American Revolution, led by John Paul Jones.

Earlier, we'd toured the Rum Story which engaged with the towns significant links with slavery and the rum trade.

Memorialising dark times is problematic, but it is playing a significant part in placemaking here.