Descend 140m underground Led by knowledgeable (and entertaining) guides who are all ex-miners, you’ll see first-hand how coal was extracted and moved to the surface – whilst gaining vivid insights into the dangers and hardships faced by the men, women and children who toiled deep below ground. Lamp Room Your tour starts in the Lamp Room, where you’ll get kitted out with a hard-hat and battery lamp in preparation for the underground tour. Furnace Shaft Before you descend underground via the ‘No. 1 Riding Shaft’, which was sunk in the 1790s, there’s an opportunity to see the dramatic results of a recently completed, unique conservation project to repair the second shaft, which is believed to have been sunk in the 1870s. Used as a furnace shaft, and believed to be the only one of its kind still easily accessible, it would originally have had a fire lit at the bottom, to send warm air up the shaft, which would have drawn fresh air down the main riding shaft, thereby ventilating the pit. Not only has the shaft been conserved – it is now possible for visitors to view it from both the top and the bottom of its 140m depth! Embedded in the floor of the Lamp Room is a specially toughened 3m diameter glass cover which enables visitors to literally stand over the dramatically lit vertical ‘hole’ in order to look down to the bottom (or peep over the edge if you’re not feeling so brave), whilst the Underground Tour now includes the chance to look from the bottom of the shaft back up to the pinpoint of light coming from the surface high above. Going Underground Having peered deep down into the mine, your journey 140m underground now begins – as you descend in the cage down the Riding Shaft - the same way that the miners would have travelled up and down at the beginning and end of each shift. As you step out of the cage at the bottom, your guide will lead you through the tunnels and displays that tell the story of mining from Victorian times to the present.You’ll see models, huge machines and interactive displays that cover mining methods from pick and shovel to mechanisation, the conditions that miners worked in, how they communicated with each other underground and up to the surface and the gradual development of safety equipment and procedures. It’s an experience that you’ll never forget.
At the start of the 20th century, more than 1,000 men and boys died in mining accidents each year.
Fresh air & clean water Nature Trail It’s hard to believe that the peaceful, half-mile nature trail, populated by birch, oak and ash woodlands, was once the site of the colliery’s spoil tips – the areas where all the unwanted stone and other material moved from the mine was piled up. Flanked by open countryside, the nature trail is now home to woodlands, wildlife, bird-hides, picnic sites and a clear-running stream. It’s the perfect place to stretch your legs and enjoy the fresh air. Water treatment - with a difference It’s also hard to believe that the clear water in the stream starts off as the bright orange water that you can see in the ‘settling ponds’ near to Hope Store.This water, which is pumped out of the mine-workings at Hope Pit every night, and has absorbed impurities from rocks underground, moves steadily through an innovative cleaning system – firstly into ponds, where iron particles settle out, then into special reed beds where the thick foliage and helpful micro-organisms slow and filter the water until it runs crystal clear, through the stream and off into the River Calder.
The water pumps near Hope Store pump 10,000,000 gallons of water every week.
NATIONAL COAL MINING MUSEUM
for England
Unique Group Visits 2013/14
Plan your visit The National Coal Mining Museum is a unique place where the history of mining over several centuries is preserved both below ground and above ground. A visit here can take you 140m underground, back in time to see the oldest buildings and machinery and right to the heart of mining communities and the lives of miners and their families. Along the way, you’ll discover the stories of thousands of people who laboured in this industry - which was key to Britain’s industrial development - gaining powerful insights into their work, their way of life and their culture.You’ll experience mining at first hand and you’ll leave with an understanding of why we think it is so important to ‘Keep Coal Mining Alive’.
Two mines: one museum Located in open countryside, the Museum is set on a large site across two former coal mines: Caphouse Colliery and Hope Pit. Most of the galleries and displays are based at the Caphouse part of the site, with original colliery buildings and visitor facilities such as reception, the gift shop, and the Museum’s café. The buildings at Hope Pit are a five-minute walk across the site and have been redisplayed to interpret the science and engineering of mining, using interactive displays and games.
Getting the most from your visit There are various options for a group visit to the Museum: you may wish to explore the galleries, displays and buildings independently; some or all of your group might like to go on an underground tour; you could choose one of our themed visits which include a talk or a tour by one of our curators, guides or living history interpreters; or, if you have a special interest (or limited time) – just tell us – and we’ll design a visit specially for you. In the meantime, let us tell you a bit more about what there is to see and do …
Registered in England & Wales as a Limited Company by Guarantee No. 1702426. Reg. Charity No. 517325.VAT Reg. No. 457 548 314. Reg. Office: Caphouse Colliery, New Road, Overton, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF4 4RH
www.ncm.org.uk/groups
www.ncm.org.uk/groups
, Discover mining methods lives and communities
Explore Caphouse Colliery Caphouse Colliery dates back to the late 1790s. It was taken over by the Lister-Kaye family in 1827 and, having been nationalised with other pits in 1947 it was joined to nearby Denby Grange Colliery in 1981. In 1985 the last coal was brought out of Caphouse and the colliery was closed. Today, as you explore the Caphouse site, you can see and visit the original colliery buildings, including the steam winder, medical centre, control room and pit-head baths, each of which has its own history and stories to tell. Pithead Baths and Medical Centre A favourite with visitors of all ages, the Caphouse baths were opened in 1938 and were where the miners started and ended their working day. Here you’ll see how the strict system of ‘home clothes’ on the clean side and ‘dirty clothes’ on the dirty side worked! The medical centre is set out to show how minor injuries on site would be treated by the colliery nurse.
The Caphouse Baths Attendant sold ‘Wondermend’ for patching overalls, bathing trunks, soap, towels, work clogs and chewing tobacco! Wages Office A peep into the wages office is a stark reminder that the amount miners earned for toiling underground was once linked not only to how much coal they individually got out of the ground, but also to the market price for coal. When the price went down, so did their wages.
Steam Winding-Engine House Dating back to 1876, this is one of the site’s oldest surviving buildings. The original steam winding engine, which would have hauled the coal up to the surface, is still in working order, and it is run on event days during the year. Control Room This was the nerve centre of the pit, from where all the underground work was coordinated. It still has a vital role today as home to the environmental monitoring equipment that ensures safe conditions underground for our staff and visitors. Drift Mouth, Conveyor and Coal-Screening Plant During the later years of the colliery’s operation, coal from Caphouse was brought up from the mine on a conveyor belt and out of the drift mouth – from here, you can follow the conveyor high up above your head, across the site, until it disappears into the Museum’s largest building, the coal-screening plant.This traditional timber-framed structure is where stone and dirt were removed and the lumps of coal were sorted and broken into different sizes for home or industrial use, then transported to market by rail, and later by lorry. (Please note that the screens building is only open for internal viewing on special event days).
Lads often started their work in the screens before moving to better paid work underground, whilst older miners frequently returned to the screens – on boy’s wages again - when they could no longer do heavy work underground. Stable Yard A highlight of any visit, whatever your age, is a visit to the stables to meet the ponies, Eric and Ernie, with Finn, our gentle-giant Clydesdale horse.You’ll find out how ponies were used in the mines from the mid-eighteenth century – replacing the labour of women and children after the 1842 Coal Mines Act. In 1913, there were 70,000 ponies working underground, whilst big, strong horses were used to move coal on the surface. Although our ponies have never worked underground, they are Welsh ponies which, with Shetland ponies, were two of the favoured breeds used in mines around the country.
Ponies worked underground from 4 years old until no longer fit – often into their twenties; most were stabled underground and only came to the surface for the annual pit holiday.
www.ncm.org.uk/groups
Inside the Museum’s galleries, you’ll discover a rich collection of displays, documents, objects, machines and memorabilia which, with films and photographs, provide a wealth of insights into mining methods and the lives of miners through the centuries. Coal Interface Gallery This large gallery space is on two floors and shows how coal was mined – with the help of some ingenious inventions and solutions that were found in response to the problems of working in such dangerous and hostile environments. From cutting and moving the coal to how to communicate underground and ensuring there was clean air to breath and light to work by – this is where you’ll discover the machines, equipment and inventions. See the Joy double-ended shearer which could cut 23 tonnes of coal per minute and the hydraulic chocks that held up the roof, providing the vital protection which allowed the miners to work. In this gallery you can also see the machines, photographs and objects conserved and displayed as part of the Heritage Lottery funded Cutting Edge project. Mining Lives Gallery In the Mining Lives Gallery, you’ll get to the heart of mining communities, their homes and family life and, on selected days, costumed living history characters will literally ‘bring it all to life’ with their entertaining tales. Displays, photos and objects also tell the stories of health and welfare, unions and strikes and some of the industry’s disasters and rescues. 1842 Gallery Until the 1842 Coal Mines Act came into force, whole families worked together underground – children as young as five minded the ventilation doors, whilst older children and women moved the coal hewn by the men from the workings to the pit bottom. In the 1842 Gallery you’ll hear the testimonies of children who worked underground, find out how much families earned and see the dangers and hardships that they faced on a daily basis.
‘I stand and open and shut the door; I’m generally in the dark and sit me down against the door … I never see daylight now, except on Sundays.’ From the 1842 report into mining conditions for children.
Special Exhibitions Located in the Visitor Centre, the special exhibition gallery hosts a changing programme of temporary exhibitions showcasing photography, art and artefacts. For information about our current and forthcoming exhibitions please visit www.ncm.org.uk Library The Museum’s research library holds a wealth of information on the history of coal mining in England including books, journals and precious information files.The library is also home to the Museum’s oldest artefact – De Re Metallica.This book, written more than 450 years ago, describes working methods and processes in metal mining and was the first book on mining to use a scientific approach. By the author, Georgius Agricola, the book uses beautiful woodcut drawings to show tools, machinery and also a history of mining. In order to conserve this book, the pages are turned every month and it is shielded from daylight most of the time, unless it is being viewed.
Our specialist librarians are keen to share their knowledge and expertise with visitors – so let us know if you’d like to include the library in your visit.
Descend 140m underground Led by knowledgeable (and entertaining) guides who are all ex-miners, you’ll see first-hand how coal was extracted and moved to the surface – whilst gaining vivid insights into the dangers and hardships faced by the men, women and children who toiled deep below ground. Lamp Room Your tour starts in the Lamp Room, where you’ll get kitted out with a hard-hat and battery lamp in preparation for the underground tour. Furnace Shaft Before you descend underground via the ‘No. 1 Riding Shaft’, which was sunk in the 1790s, there’s an opportunity to see the dramatic results of a recently completed, unique conservation project to repair the second shaft, which is believed to have been sunk in the 1870s. Used as a furnace shaft, and believed to be the only one of its kind still easily accessible, it would originally have had a fire lit at the bottom, to send warm air up the shaft, which would have drawn fresh air down the main riding shaft, thereby ventilating the pit. Not only has the shaft been conserved – it is now possible for visitors to view it from both the top and the bottom of its 140m depth! Embedded in the floor of the Lamp Room is a specially toughened 3m diameter glass cover which enables visitors to literally stand over the dramatically lit vertical ‘hole’ in order to look down to the bottom (or peep over the edge if you’re not feeling so brave), whilst the Underground Tour now includes the chance to look from the bottom of the shaft back up to the pinpoint of light coming from the surface high above. Going Underground Having peered deep down into the mine, your journey 140m underground now begins – as you descend in the cage down the Riding Shaft - the same way that the miners would have travelled up and down at the beginning and end of each shift. As you step out of the cage at the bottom, your guide will lead you through the tunnels and displays that tell the story of mining from Victorian times to the present.You’ll see models, huge machines and interactive displays that cover mining methods from pick and shovel to mechanisation, the conditions that miners worked in, how they communicated with each other underground and up to the surface and the gradual development of safety equipment and procedures. It’s an experience that you’ll never forget.
At the start of the 20th century, more than 1,000 men and boys died in mining accidents each year.
Fresh air & clean water Nature Trail It’s hard to believe that the peaceful, half-mile nature trail, populated by birch, oak and ash woodlands, was once the site of the colliery’s spoil tips – the areas where all the unwanted stone and other material moved from the mine was piled up. Flanked by open countryside, the nature trail is now home to woodlands, wildlife, bird-hides, picnic sites and a clear-running stream. It’s the perfect place to stretch your legs and enjoy the fresh air. Water treatment - with a difference It’s also hard to believe that the clear water in the stream starts off as the bright orange water that you can see in the ‘settling ponds’ near to Hope Store.This water, which is pumped out of the mine-workings at Hope Pit every night, and has absorbed impurities from rocks underground, moves steadily through an innovative cleaning system – firstly into ponds, where iron particles settle out, then into special reed beds where the thick foliage and helpful micro-organisms slow and filter the water until it runs crystal clear, through the stream and off into the River Calder.
The water pumps near Hope Store pump 10,000,000 gallons of water every week.
NATIONAL COAL MINING MUSEUM
for England
Unique Group Visits 2013/14
Plan your visit The National Coal Mining Museum is a unique place where the history of mining over several centuries is preserved both below ground and above ground. A visit here can take you 140m underground, back in time to see the oldest buildings and machinery and right to the heart of mining communities and the lives of miners and their families. Along the way, you’ll discover the stories of thousands of people who laboured in this industry - which was key to Britain’s industrial development - gaining powerful insights into their work, their way of life and their culture.You’ll experience mining at first hand and you’ll leave with an understanding of why we think it is so important to ‘Keep Coal Mining Alive’.
Two mines: one museum Located in open countryside, the Museum is set on a large site across two former coal mines: Caphouse Colliery and Hope Pit. Most of the galleries and displays are based at the Caphouse part of the site, with original colliery buildings and visitor facilities such as reception, the gift shop, and the Museum’s café. The buildings at Hope Pit are a five-minute walk across the site and have been redisplayed to interpret the science and engineering of mining, using interactive displays and games.
Getting the most from your visit There are various options for a group visit to the Museum: you may wish to explore the galleries, displays and buildings independently; some or all of your group might like to go on an underground tour; you could choose one of our themed visits which include a talk or a tour by one of our curators, guides or living history interpreters; or, if you have a special interest (or limited time) – just tell us – and we’ll design a visit specially for you. In the meantime, let us tell you a bit more about what there is to see and do …
Registered in England & Wales as a Limited Company by Guarantee No. 1702426. Reg. Charity No. 517325.VAT Reg. No. 457 548 314. Reg. Office: Caphouse Colliery, New Road, Overton, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF4 4RH
www.ncm.org.uk/groups
www.ncm.org.uk/groups