The power of art: Waiting Miner statue commemorates Yorkshire’s coal’s history

The bronze statue – first created in 1966 by artist Harry Phillips – now stands on the same ground where South Yorkshire coal was once burned in the old Tinsley power station. It commemorates the site’s history as well as highlighting its transformation into a renewable energy plant which today helps make new energy work for Sheffield’s businesses and communities.

The statue was formally unveiled in its new home by South Yorkshire's Mayor, Oliver Coppard at a ceremony attended by representatives from The National Union of Mineworkers, Coalfields Regeneration Trust and former workers of the Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station in Nottinghamshire, the UK’s last operating coal-fired power station which ceased operations in 2024.

Jess Dhariwal, Plant Manager at E.ON’s Blackburn Meadows renewable energy plant, said: “The Waiting Miner is a fitting tribute to the generations of colliers whose work helped power this region and the country. Giving the statue a new home also highlights the next chapter of our site’s story: the evolution from its industrial past and the transformation of our energy system so cleaner, locally generated energy can work for the businesses and communities that depend on it.”

South Yorkshire's Mayor, Oliver Coppard said: "South Yorkshire's story was shaped by working people. Mining wasn't just an industry here, it helped create our communities, our identity and the values that still define our region today.

"The Waiting Miner is a powerful tribute to the generations of people who worked in our pits and helped build South Yorkshire. It honours a heritage we're immensely proud of and ensures those stories won't be forgotten.

"Standing here at Blackburn Meadows, the statue links our proud industrial past with the industries that will power South Yorkshire's future. I'm proud it's found a home here, reminding us where we've come from as we build what comes next."

A plaque on the side of the statue’s plinth bears an inscription from George Orwell’s 1937 novel The Road to Wigan Pier: “If there is one type of man to whom I do feel myself inferior, it is a coal miner.”

The Waiting Miner now standing at Blackburn Meadows is a replica of an original sculpture by Harry Phillips which was originally commissioned by the Central Electricity Generating Board. It was first installed at Richborough Power Station in Kent. The original was later donated by Richborough’s owners Powergen, now E.ON, to Dover District Council following the power station’s closure. It now stands on the former site of Betteshanger Colliery as a memorial to Kent’s mining past.

The replica, which stands at around 6ft high, spent most of its life at E.ON’s headquarters in Coventry before being moved to Blackburn Meadows.

Once home to coal-fired power, Blackburn Meadows has evolved into a renewable energy hub, demonstrating how cleaner energy infrastructure can support local businesses, cut carbon and help cities build a more sustainable future.

The site forms part of E.ON’s wider work to deliver sustainable energy infrastructure in South Yorkshire. Blackburn Meadows uses recycled waste wood to generate 30MW of electricity and up to 25MW of heat energy – enough to power up to 69,000 homes and businesses.

The heat generated supplies local businesses such as iceSheffield and Forgemasters through an 8km low-carbon district heating network, helping them to access locally generated, lower-carbon energy. The network has recently been given the green light for expansion, which will more than double its size by adding a further 12km to the existing route and support Sheffield’s ambition to reach net zero by 2030.