A coal hole is a hatch in the pavement (

sidewalk A sidewalk (North American English), pavement (British English), footpath in Australia, India, New Zealand and Ireland, or footway, is a path along the side of a street, highway, terminals. Usually constructed of concrete, pavers, brick, stone ...

, in US usage) above an underground

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when ...

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

heating A central heating system provides warmth to a number of spaces within a building from one main source of heat. It is a component of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (short: HVAC) systems, which can both cool and warm interior spaces. ...

from the early 19th century to the middle 20th century. In Britain they became largely obsolete in major cities when the Clean Air Act of 1956 forced a move towards oil and gas for home heating. The coal hole allowed the easy delivery of coal, generally in sacks and often from horse-drawn

cart A cart or dray (Australia and New Zealand) is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by one or a pair of draught animals. A handcart is pulled or pushed by one or more people. It is different from the flatbed ...

s, to the house's coal bunker. 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 more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuri ...

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 fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wid ...

glass Glass is a non- crystalline, often transparent, amorphous solid that has widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in, for example, window panes, tableware, and optics. Glass is most often formed by rapid cooling (quenchin ...

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

External links

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