coalface

noun coalfaces

1. The surface of coal exposed by mining, or a part of a coal seam that is currently being mined.
2. The end of a drift, entry, or room in a coal mine.
3. UK, figuratively A place where difficult or strenuous work is done. Works of this kind are necessarily parasitic upon the research of other scholars and I should like to express my gratitude to all those whose hard labour at the coalface has made my own endeavours possible.
4. UK, figuratively A place where more tangible, practical, or direct work of an activity is done, as opposed to theoretical or managerial work. While schools were seen to be at the coalface of administering arts education, teachers, artists and children were rarely consulted in relation to the development of arts education policy.