Fires of Prometheus

THE CORF


A mysterious survival

A replica corf (RM50) was discovered in a corner of the storeroom attached to the Engine Shed. A copy of the corf illustrated in John Curr's The Practical Coal Viewer and Engine Builder's Companion, the replica is accurate and of high quality. It has unflanged wheels, which enabled it to travel over open ground, laid wooden planks and along timber or iron edge rails (L-section rails). It still contained a "load" of coal on a fake base. The corf was presumably made in the late 1980s to feature in Gallery 1 of the From Face to Cage exhibition. However I was unable to locate any records of its creation.

Last updated 9th November 2019

Replica corf
Replica corf (RM50)

ENLARGE

Drawing of a corf
A corf, illustrated in The Practical Coal Viewer and Engine Builder's Companion (1797). This illustration was used as the basis of the replica in the museum collection.

ENLARGE

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