The coal mining history still affects the town with gardens occasionally opening up. The local MP has petitioned in Parliament for full surveys of the coal mines under the town. A recent archaeological excavation of the Wade Street area of Kingswood has uncovered artisans'houses that were established in the early 18th century. These dwellings were demolished as part of a slum clearance project in the mid 20th century. There is an annual procession held on the morning of the Whit Bank Holiday. Its origins are uncertain, but it appears to have taken place at least since 1939. The walk is the subject of an ethnographic study by the English anthropologist Timothy Jenkins.