Fen and wold
Brimstone dipped splints
Brimstone dipped splints
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Beyond the last fields of Hawthorn, where the green begins to give way to stone, lies the old Brimstone Mine, where sulphurous stone was once worked beneath the hills. Today, its memory lives on in the Brimstone-Dipped Splints — traditional safety matches inspired by the old brimstone workings, made to bring a small, dependable flame to life with a simple strike. The mine may have fallen silent, but its brimstone still finds its way into the story of every match.
Product Information
Product Information
Each glass vial contains 20 white-topped safety matches and a circular brown match striker.
Not all white-topped safety matches are created equally. Each match has its own character, with slight variations in tip size and matchstick finish to be expected. These natural variations are part of the product and do not affect performance.
Product Details
- 20 white-topped safety matches
- Circular brown match striker
- Glass vial with natural cork stopper
- Suitable for lighting tealights and candles
- Sourced and packaged in the UK
The Story
The Story
The Old Brimstone Mine
Beyond the last fields of Hawthorn, where the green begins to give way to stone, there is an old track that few now remember.
It climbs slowly through the hills, following a narrow stream that disappears beneath the heather before finding its way down towards the valley.
The track ends at the old Brimstone Mine.
No one has worked there for many years.
The mine was once a place of constant noise. Carts ran along narrow iron rails. Hammers rang against stone. Smoke rose from the old kilns and hung in the valley long after the men had gone home.
They came for brimstone.
Yellow stone was brought up from the workings and carried to the old fires, where it was heated and worked before being sent down towards the villages.
The miners called the place simply the Brimstone.
There were stories about it, of course.
They said the stone never quite lost its warmth. They said the mine breathed on cold mornings, sending pale vapour from cracks in the hillside. And some swore that if you stood outside the entrance at dusk, you could still hear the faint clatter of a cart somewhere deep below.
Most people dismissed these things.
Then, one autumn evening, the last cart came out.
The mine was closed soon afterwards.
The rails were left where they lay. The timber supports were allowed to weather. Moss crept over the stone walls, and grass slowly reclaimed the path. The old kiln still stands beside the entrance, its chimney dark against the hillside.
But the brimstone remained.
In the years that followed, a few pieces were collected from the abandoned workings. Some were kept as curiosities. Others were used for old-fashioned fires and lamps, their sharp sulphurous smoke carrying something of the mine with it.
Eventually, even those who remembered the workings grew old.
The mine became another forgotten place.
But the old track is still there.
And on certain evenings, when the sun falls low across the valley and the air grows still, the ruined mine catches the light once more.
The grass turns amber.
The old rails shine.
Smoke from the hillside hangs briefly in the air.
And for a moment, it is easy to imagine the mine as it once was, carts waiting beside the entrance, timber creaking in the wind, and the smell of brimstone carried down through the valley.
Perhaps that is why the old splints are called Brimstone-Dipped.
A little of the old mine remains upon them.
Not just in the brimstone.
But in the memory of the place.
Safety Information
Safety Information
Matches Safety
- Fire should always be treated with care.
- Our safety matches are intended for lighting tealights and candles only. Please read and follow these safety precautions before use:
- Keep matches away from children and pets.
- Keep the vial away from heat, flames and other ignition sources.
- Strike and use matches away from the face, hair and clothing.
- Never leave a lit match unattended.
- Allow the match to burn out completely before disposing of it.
- Dispose of used matches in a suitable non-combustible container once fully extinguished.
- Keep the vial closed when not in use and store it somewhere cool, dry and away from direct sunlight.
- Never use matches near flammable liquids, aerosols or other easily ignited materials.
- Do not touch the white end of the match once it has been struck.
- If a match does not light properly, do not immediately strike it again. Allow it to cool and dispose of it safely.
Keep fire where it belongs, in the flame, never unattended.
