National Coal Mining Museum for England

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National Coalmining Museum

The National Coal Mining Museum for England (an Anchor Point of ERIH, The European Route of Industrial Heritage) is based on the site of the old Caphouse Colliery at Overton in West Yorkshire. This mine was worked from at least 1789 until the seam was exhausted in 1985 following the UK Miners' Strike (1984-1985) and work was started to convert it into a museum. The men were transferred to Denby Grange Colliery at nearby Grange Moore.

Opening in 1988 as the Yorkshire Mining Museum, it was granted national status in 1995.

The museum offers guided underground tours where visitors can see the conditions miners worked in and the tools and machines they used as the industry and the mine developed through the years. The extensive archive contains old issues of "Coal News" and details of collieries throughout England.

Above ground there is a well resourced visitor centre including exhibitions on the social and industrial history of the mines, meet former working pit ponies, ride the paddy train, follow the nature trail, or play in the adventure playground.

Admission ticket

The NCM has occasionally featured in television programmes. In June 2005, Most Haunted Live! visited the location on Summer Solstice, while in 2006, Caphouse Colliery appeared in an advertising campaign for Pot Noodle, purporting to be a Noodle Mine in South Wales.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Location

The museum is located on the A642, near Overton half way between Wakefield and Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, England. It is near the M1 motorway and is signposted from there. The signs from junction 40 of the M1 take motorists through Wakefield's Lupset estate to get to the museum, an alternative route can be through Ossett however this is not suitable for coaches and larger vehicles.

Traffic approaching from south Manchester is advised to avoid going through the middle of Huddersfield.

There is ample free car and coach parking for Museum visitors and local bus services run within easy walking distance. From Wakefield or Huddersfield, the Stagecoach, ex Yorkshire Traction 232 bus stops at the Reindeer pub with a short walk to the Museum. The 128 service runs from Wakefield to Dewsbury past the Museum.

[edit] See also

There are several other museums and visitor attractions that have been created from former industrial sites like this.

The Eden Project was built in a former China clay quarry in Cornwall.
The Museum of Lead Mining in Wanlockhead on the B797 between Mennock (A76) and Abington (A702 at Junc 13 M74) Scotland [1]
The Tom Leonard Mining Museum based in an ironstone mine in Cleveland [2]