Midlothian's 100 Objects - Pithead baths towel and soap

There are no pithead paths left to be seen in Midlothian now, but when they were widely introduced they made a huge difference to the lives of miners and their families as men no longer came home wet and filthy from an underground shift.

Pithead baths soap and towel. Photo: National Mining Museum Scotland

Despite the fact that the 1911 Coal Mines Act stated that the owners of mines had to provide pithead baths if a majority of two thirds of the workers wanted them, the baths were very slow to appear.

One reason is that the miners had to pay a proportion of their wages each week towards the baths.

After 1947, the National Coal Board built pithead baths in every mine. Photo: National Mining Museum Scotland

We’d love to feature your favourite Midlothian object.

You can email a photo and details to [email protected]