A coal hole is a hatch in the pavement (

sidewalk A sidewalk (North American English), pavement (British English, South African English), or footpath (Hiberno-English, Irish English, Indian English, Australian English, New Zealand English) is a path along the side of a road. Usually constr ...

, in US usage) above an underground

coal bunker A coal bin, coal store or coal bunker is a storage container for coal awaiting use or transportation. This can be either in domestic, commercial or industrial premises, or on a ship or locomotive tender, or at a coal mine or processing plant. ...

. They are sometimes found outside houses that existed during the period when coal was widely used for domestic

heating In thermodynamics, heat is energy in transfer between a thermodynamic system and its surroundings by such mechanisms as thermal conduction, electromagnetic radiation, and friction, which are microscopic in nature, involving sub-atomic, atom ...

from the early 19th century to the middle 20th century. In Britain they became largely obsolete in major cities when the

Clean Air Act 1956 The Clean Air Act 1956 (4 & 5 Eliz. 2. c. 52) was an Act of Parliament, Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom enacted principally in response to London's Great Smog of London, Great Smog of 1952. It was sponsored by the Ministry of Housi ...

forced a move toward oil and gas for home heating. The coal hole allowed the easy delivery of coal into the house's coal bunker, generally in sacks and often from the horse-drawn

cart A cart or dray (Australia and New Zealand) is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by draught animals such as horses, donkeys, mules and oxen, or even smaller animals such as goats or large dogs. A handcart ...

s of the

coal merchant A coal merchant is the term used in the UK and other countries for a trader who sells coal and often delivers it to households. Coal merchants were once a major class of local business, but have declined in importance in many parts of the developed ...

s. The location of the coal hole on the street minimised the distance the sacks needed to be carried and meant that sooty sacks and delivery men need not enter the house. The hatch is typically about 12 to 14 inches (30 to 35 cm) in diameter and consists of a

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content of more than 2% and silicon content around 1–3%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloying elements determine the form in which its car ...

ring set into the pavement, with a circular cover, often made of cast iron alone but sometimes containing

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...

glass Glass is an amorphous (non-crystalline solid, non-crystalline) solid. Because it is often transparency and translucency, transparent and chemically inert, glass has found widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in window pane ...

panes or small ventilation holes. There are three main reasons for the circular shape of the coal hole plate: a circular disc cannot accidentally fall through its own hole (unlike a square or rectangular one); because of its weight, it is helpful that it can be rolled rather than lifted and carried; and the absence of corners allows for a reduced risk of damage to it.M. Vlotides ''Pavement Poetry'' Pedestrian Publishing (2010) p.64
/ref> Hatches have an internal latch that prevents the cover being lifted from the outside. On some streets there are a variety of types of cover, reflecting the fact that the coal holes were installed at different times by different builders after the houses were constructed.

References

{{Reflist

External links

A list of coal holes in "The ultimate manhole covers web site"
Coal Doors Street furniture