National Coal Mining Museum for England

The National Coal Mining Museum for England is a great day out and gives visitors the unique opportunity to travel 140 metres underground, down one of Britain’s oldest working mines, where models and machinery depict methods and conditions of mining from the early 1800’s to the present. Experienced local miners guide parties around the underground workings. Above ground visit the pit ponies, find out more about the development of mining and its communities in the exhibitions around the site, take a train ride, see the steam winder and visit the pit head baths. The Museum also has a well-stocked shop where you can get your very own mining memorabilia.

The Museum is centred around two late-18th/early-19th century coal mining shafts, with the historic buildings and machinery forming part of the collections. The wooden headgear and steam winding engine at the Caphouse site are unique survivals from a small rural colliery.

The collections reflect life and work in the English coalfields. They range from coal cutters to mining art and literature, and from oral history records to miners’ lamps. The collection has a strong Yorkshire flavour, but also contains much of the British Coal collection from the British coal mining regions.

Fine collections exist of photographs, lamps and checks, small handtools, large mining machinery, and art by and about miners. There is an excellent library that includes an important collection of coal mining fiction.

Collection details

Archives, Fine Art, Industry, Natural Sciences, Science and Technology, Social History