Today (13 Nov 2018) I decided to visit the Big pit – a very well know coal mine which is a museum. A friend recommended me to visit this place and wow, a very wise decision.
I like it, a lot.
Very welcoming staff, friendly people and lovely welsh sense of humour 🙂
– Free entry
– Paid parking (although only £3 for the day)
Shot with Sony A7R II + Sigma 16mm F/1.4 (APS-C lens on full body camera)
Big Pit National Coal Museum (Welsh: Pwll Mawr Amgueddfa Lofaol Cymru) is an industrial heritage museum in Blaenavon, Torfaen, South Wales. A working coal mine from 1880 to 1980, it was opened to the public in 1983 under the auspices of the National Museum of Wales. The site is dedicated to operational preservation of the Welsh heritage of coal mining, which took place during the Industrial revolution.
Located adjacent to the preserved Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway, Big Pit is part of the Blaenavon Industrial Landscape, a World Heritage Site, and an Anchor Point of the European Route of Industrial Heritage.
It got its name from the size of its elliptical shaft, which at 5.5m by 4.6m was the first in the area wide enough to wind two trams of coal side by side.
Big Pit National Coal Museum from the outside. As you can imagine – it was a lovely Sunny day in Wales 🙂
Big Pit National Coal Museum – It was very very clean. Everywhere. The toilets were immaculate
Big Pit National Coal Museum – Some old thing – I guess a generator may be ?
Big Pit National Coal Museum
The hall where you need to wait for the underground tour, which is the main attraction around and believe me – it is worth it
Big Pit National Coal Museum – Some history while you are waiting for the underground tour.
Big Pit National Coal Museum – againthe hall, where you need to wait for the underground tour.
Big Pit National Coal Museum – it appears that it was the oldest working mine in Wales. I didn’t know that.
Big Pit National Coal Museum – some views from the window, while I am still waiting for the tour.
Big Pit National Coal Museum – and some signs as well, giving you more info about the our. Around 50 min – that’s a lot time underground.
Big Pit National Coal Museum – and finally 🙂 some former miner opens that door and we can follow him
Big Pit National Coal Museum
The view from outside
Big Pit National Coal Museum and we enter the Pithead, where are the shafts and the cages. And see the sign at the top of the door ? 🙂 THE GREEN MILE 🙂 This people definitely have a good sense of humour.
Big Pit National Coal Museum – the main shaft and cages, which will take us underground.
Big Pit National Coal Museum – here everyone receive a helmet with working LED light. And… you need to leave your watch, cigarettes, lighters, mobile phones, cameras… so, no photos from the underground.
Big Pit National Coal Museum – some old signs just before we go down
Big Pit National Coal Museum – some other visitors in our group waiting to go down.
Big Pit National Coal Museum – this is the place, where we were requested to leave our lights back, so they could be charged again.
