Lump of Coal, Tredegar
The largest in the world, this legendary lump of coal was mined by expert collier, John ‘Collier Mawr’ Jones, to be shown at the Great Exhibition of 1851 in Crystal Palace.
During transportation, a 5.08-tonne piece broke away from the initial 20.32-tonne block, and was subsequently returned to the grounds of Bedwellty House — home of the Homfray family.
A century later, a 2.03-tonne block was cut from the same seam of coal for the Festival of Britain, with both blocks listed as a unique tribute to the coal industry in South Wales and to the skill of the region’s miners.