Big Pit National Coal Museum facts for kids
| Pwll Mawr Amgueddfa Lofaol Cymru | |
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View of museum with the winding tower.
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| Established | 1983 |
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| Location | Blaenavon, Wales |
| Visitors | 129,396 (Fiscal year 2019) |
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
| Part of | Blaenavon Industrial Landscape |
| Criteria | Cultural: (iii), (iv) |
The Big Pit National Coal Museum (which is Pwll Mawr Amgueddfa Lofaol Cymru in Welsh) is a cool place to visit in Blaenavon, Wales. It's an industrial heritage museum that used to be a real coal mine.
This mine worked from 1880 to 1980. Then, in 1983, it opened to the public as a museum. In 2001, it became part of the National Museums and Galleries of Wales. The museum helps us remember the history of coal mining in Wales, especially during the Industrial Revolution.
Big Pit is next to the Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway. It's also part of the Blaenavon Industrial Landscape, which is a special World Heritage Site. This means it's recognized as important around the world.
Contents
History of the Big Pit Mine
Big Pit wasn't always a coal mine. It started as an iron mine around 1810. Miners dug into the side of the mountain to find iron. This old part is called Engine Pit Level. It was dug by hand because dynamite hadn't been invented yet!
The Big Pit coal mine was a very important part of the Blaenavon Ironworks. It was one of the oldest and biggest coal mines in South Wales. The mine was known as "Big Pit" because its main shaft was very large. It was the first shaft in Wales big enough for two tramways (tracks for coal carts).
By 1908, over 1,100 people worked at Big Pit. At its busiest in 1923, nearly 1,400 men worked there. They dug out over 250,000 tons of coal each year! This coal was sent all over the world, even to South America.
At first, everything was done by hand. But by 1908, a conveyor belt was installed. The mine also got electricity early on. By 1910, fans, hauling systems, and pumps were all powered by electricity.
In 1939, the mine got special baths for the miners. This meant they didn't have to walk home dirty and wet. It also made life easier for their families. During World War II, coal was even dug from the surface here. In 1947, the mine became part of the National Coal Board.
The mine kept working until 1980. It was one of the last coal mines to close in the Blaenavon area.
Getting Coal Around
In 1866, a railway line opened near the mine. This allowed coal to be moved easily to other places. Coal from Big Pit could go to the Midlands or even to the coast at Newport. From Newport, it was shipped overseas.
The railway line for passengers closed in 1941. But the line was used to move coal until the mine closed. Today, there's a special train station called Big Pit Halt right next to the museum. It opened in 2011 for tourists visiting the museum.
Mining Dangers
Mining was a very dangerous job. Between 1857 and 1880, many accidents happened in the Blaenavon mines. After 1880, there were regular reports of accidents at Big Pit. Sadly, some of these accidents led to loss of life.
For example, in 1908, three men died in an explosion. In 1913, three more men died in a fire underground. These events remind us how risky mining was for the people who worked there.
Big Pit as a Museum
Even before the mine closed, people thought it would make a great museum. After it closed in 1980, the local council bought the site for just £1! A special group called the Big Pit (Blaenavon) Trust helped turn it into a museum.
The museum opened to visitors in 1983. It cost £1.5 million to set up, with help from different groups. Many of the buildings at the site are now protected because they are historically important. These include the Powder House (where explosives were stored), the Saw Mill Office, and the Miners' Bathhouse.
When it first opened, not as many people visited as expected. But in 2001, the museum became part of the National Museum Wales. This meant that entry became free! Since then, many more people have visited. In 2017, over 150,000 people came to Big Pit.
In 2005, the Big Pit National Coal Museum won a big award called the Gulbenkian Prize (now called Museum of the Year). This showed how special the museum is.
The museum even hired young people as mining apprentices in 2011. This helped them learn the skills needed to work in a mine.
When you visit, you can see many things above ground, like the winding house and the baths. The best part is going underground on a tour! You'll go down into the actual mine workings. In 2000, the Blaenavon industrial area, including Big Pit, became a World Heritage Site because of its importance during the Industrial Revolution.
A local cheese company, the Blaenavon Cheddar Company, even ages its "Pwll Mawr" (Big Pit) cheddar cheese at the bottom of the mine shaft!
Staying Safe at the Museum
Even though it's a museum, Big Pit is still treated like a working mine for safety reasons. When you go on the underground tour, you have to wear a plastic hard hat, a safety lamp, and a heavy battery on your belt. You also carry a special device called a rebreather. This would help you breathe if there was an emergency.
Before you go underground, you must give up anything with a battery, like watches or mobile phones. This is because sparks from batteries could be dangerous in a mine. The museum also has gas monitoring systems and emergency phones to keep everyone safe. The safety posters you see are not just for show; they are real reminders of the dangers miners faced.
See also
- Mining in Wales
- Mining accident
- South Wales coalfield
- South Wales Coalfield Collection
- 1926 United Kingdom general strike
- UK miners' strike (1984–85)
- Rhondda Heritage Park
- National Coal Mining Museum for England
- Rhymney
- Blaenavon
- Blaenavon Industrial Landscape
Images for kids
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Preserved Andrew Barclay Sons & Co. locomotive Nora No.5 at Big Pit
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Area of the former Coal Mine
