Coal Plates are the metal covers covering coal holes through which coal used to be poured into the cellar below. They are usually located in the pavement or outside the front doors of houses.
Coal hole covers date from as early as the 18th century when they were square and made of stone. These early stone covers were later replaced by square iron coal plates which were in turn mostly replaced by circular ones. Circular plates are safer as they cannot be dropped through the coal hole into the cellar below.
Coal plates often exhibit intricate and artistically pleasing designs. These designs served a practical purpose as they made the plates less slippery in the wet.
Coal plates often bear the name of the manufacturer who made them or that of the ironmonger or builder who supplied them. Rarer examples bear the name of the shop outside which they were located. Many are however, completely anonymous.
Many coal plates have glazed lights or prisms to help illuminate the cellar below. They are often also ventilated as there was a belief that coal gave off noxious gases and these were intended to allow these gases to vent from the cellar.
Please access the menu structure to view coal plates by geographic area or by basic design for anonymous examples.