Lancashire Mining Museum is announcing a £198,910 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to protect our unique winding house and to begin the process of developing the site as a major visitor attraction. and to secure the future of the engine house and work towards securing the future of the site’s 98 foot high headgear which is an iconic structure on the Lancashire Plains. It will add new attractions to the site and will also assist in developing the museum’s organisation and our brilliant volunteer team.
This project is a first step in a wider process to transform the museum, preserve the site’s ‘at risk’ heritage, developing our visitor offer, engaging with audiences, and increasing the resilience of the governance team and volunteers. This project develops the museum, its offer and its organisation under the overarching theme of safeguarding mining heritage:.
The museum has secured additional funding for our project from Association of Industrial Archaeology, Pilgrim Trust, Wigan Council, Arts Council and Awards for All giving a total budget in excess of £360,000.
The museum is located on the former Astley Green Colliery, the last remaining headgear from the Lancashire Coalfieldand widely visible across the Lancashire plain. The site features an engine house containing the largest operational colliery winding engine in the world. The engine house and headgear are listed (Grade II), are Scheduled Ancient Monuments and are on Historic England’s ‘At Risk’ Register. It is unique amongst mining museums by being a late era mine.
The museum demonstrates the rich history, memories, and culture of mining communities, and their role in the industrial revolution. We provide insights into mining life and its cultural significance.
Our site contains extensive woodlands reclaimed from the colliery site and used for research by Manchester Universitydemonstrating ecological regeneration from industrial dereliction.
The site contains attractions including replica miner’s cottage, lamp room, underground experience, tea room and the largest UK collection of underground railway engines, providing rides around our site. The site has an extensive collection of mining artefacts. We offer a significant Archive and have volunteers who provide personal experiences and information about mining.
Peter Rowlinson from the Lancashire Mining Museum said: “We are thrilled to have received this support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players we.will significantly improve our site a develop our plans for the ultimate operation of the site as a major visitor destination’’
