National Coal Mining Museum

Categories: Arts Centres, Museums and Art Galleries Categories: Arts Centres, Museums and Art Galleries

Address: Caphouse Colliery, New Road, Overton, Wakefield, WF4 4RH

Landline: 01924 8... Landline: 01924 8...

Website: www.ncm.org.uk
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* Tools Of The Trade, * Lives and Voices, * Paintings and Pictures, * The Library, * Research, * Special Exhibitions, * Hire, * Conference, * Corporate Events, * Weddings, * Private Hire, * Outdoor Space, Museum , Educational Visits , Family Days Out, Conference Facilities , Function Room Hire, Free Entry , Interactive Museum , Heritage Site, Craft Activities

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About Us... The National Coal Mining Museum for England aims to keep coal mining alive by collecting and preserving the industry’s rich heritage, creating enjoyable and inspiring ways to learn for people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities.

As a national museum the National Coal Mining Museum for England is funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport through the National Museum of Science & Industry. The Museum is also a registered charity (no.517325).

The National Coal Mining Museum for England is located at Caphouse Colliery, on the western edge of the Yorkshire coalfield, where mining has been carried out for centuries.

In 1988 the Yorkshire Mining Museum opened at Caphouse.

It was established with funding from West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire Metropolitan County Councils, Wakefield and Kirklees Metropolitan District Councils and technical support and assistance from British Coal.

The Museum was granted national status in 1995. Following this the Department for Culture, Media and Sport carried out a detailed study into the Museum, and in 1998 provided funding which secured its long-term future. In 2001 the Museum received a Heritage Lottery Fund Grant of just over £4.5 million. The Museum raised just under £2 million to complement this grant. Work carried out using this money included restoring buildings, new gallery areas and the store for large machinery. In 2002 admission to the Museum became free.

More Information... More recently, the Museum was awarded a further grant of just under £1 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund, which together with funding from Coal Authority and £1 million from the EU LIFE Environment Programme, has enabled the conservation and interpretation of the buildings at Hope Pit, and the installation of a state-of-the-art environmentally sound water treatment scheme. The Hope Pit scheme was opened in May 2005 by Johnny Ball.

As one of the few remaining accessible coal mines in England, The National Coal Mining Museum offers a unique venue for conferences, exhibitions, private events and weddings.

The National Coal Mining Museum for England provides a great day out with a unique opportunity to travel 140 meters underground down one of Britain's oldest working mines. Situated in a rural setting, it offers an unusual combination of exciting experiences, whilst providing a genuine insight into the hard-working lives of miners through the ages. Call or visit our website for more information.

The National Coal Mining Museum for England aims to keep coal mining alive by collecting and preserving the industry’s rich heritage, creating enjoyable and inspiring ways to learn for people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities.

The National Coal Mining Museum for England is located at Caphouse Colliery, on the western edge of the Yorkshire coalfield, where mining has been carried out for centuries.

A plan dated 1791 showing workings from 1789 to 1795, includes a shaft on the Caphouse site. It is probably the oldest coal-mine shaft still in everyday use in Britain today.

Before 1827 the colliery was owned by the Milnes family, but then passed into the ownership of the Lister Kaye family, until 1917.

After 1917 the colliery was run by a company, which included the ex-manager Percy Greaves, a colliery owner in his own right. Around 1941 Arthur Sykes of Lockwood and Elliott bought the colliery and remained as owner until Nationalisation in 1947. By 1985 the coal at Caphouse was exhausted and its conversion to a museum began.

In 1988 the Yorkshire Mining Museum opened at Caphouse.