National Coal Mining Museum for England

Set in a rural site, the Museum is a unique collection of buildings, displays and galleries which reveal the hidden world of mining through the centuries, telling the stories of mining methods and machinery, the miners and their families. Admission to the Museum is free with underground tours requiring a refundable deposit of 7.50 for a traditional miners check. You can keep your check as a souvenir and donate your deposit to the Museum, which is a national charity. Put on your hard hat and battery lamp, step into the cage and descend 140m underground; follow your ex-miner guide through the chilly, dark tunnels to find out how coal was mined and moved to the surface by men, women, children, ponies and machinery. Return to the surface after just over an hour and, as you emerge into the daylight, youll wonder just how they survived - and understand why so many didnt. Explore the two collieries, the pit-head baths, wages office and the huge winding wheels, then visit our galleries ...