Free Mining, Forest of Dean

There were Celts mining in the Forest of Dean even before the Romans, and when Lionel Hampden visited in 1964 for Midland Montage, not much appeared to have changed! He talks to local miner Bert Hinton about the ancient rights that allow Forest of Dean men to become Free Miners and make a living from primitive drift mines as they hack out the coal and bringing it to the surface by hand.

[@F16Diomede]

Lionel Hampden was my father. Watched this clip for the first time with his Granddaughter. He always felt there was a 'story on every corner.' And so there was.

[@simoningram1114]

Interesting clip. Would be good if somebody could sync up the sound with the video, it’s really badly out of sync