national coal mining museum

Great visit and gives you an insight to the coal mining industry! We had a very good guide called Taz who made the tour underground come to life!

Would like to give the coal mine tour A BIG thumbs up! It was a fantastic day out, really informative and so interesting, top tour guide Gerry, who was actually a real miner so he knew his stuff - please if u ever get a chance to go down the mine, then do, Don't miss out, take the kids and anyone else, your wont be sorry, it's amazing and it's real life for people not that long ago ( oh and it's all free entry, but donations appreciated and it's got a gorgeous cafe, nature trail & pit ponies)

This is a brilliant day out - the walks around the surrounding area are really good too. The pit itself, the ponies and the exhibits - always good. The cafe is not fancy but serves super quality food. Worth a visit just for that.

I visited with three young children 6,4,1. My partner wanted to take the two eldest on the underground visit however children must be 5 and over so we shall revisit at some point. To get the best out of this museum I would say that booking on the mine tour is essential, especially for children. We visited as I was playing with the idea of whether my eldest was at an age suitable for learning about the mining industry and a visit underground would have taught him so much more than looking at objects. We visited on a Sunday and the museum was filled mainly with adults; there's lots of information for adults to enjoy. I would suggest that the museum looks towards a few more hands on learning experiences for children. The ragging corner was good and there's a tunnel in one of the out buildings that they enjoyed (what was it like down the pit etc..) but I do think that more hands on learning is needed. There is a decent under 5s play area which I would've used if the other half had gone down the mine. There's many buildings that are included, I thought the shower block was a good learning tool, I found it to be brilliant. The cafe was a slight disappointment. The serve yourself cake section in my opinion is not a good idea and at £2.95 a slice It is definitely expensive cake. The miners who I believe are all volunteers were very friendly, all saying hello when they passed and are a credit to the museum. There was also a man serving in the cafe who was very professional and he also deserves a mention. To summarise it is an excellent free museum and one that I hope to see grow.

Came here to get ideas for a project, and learnt quite a few facts along the way.Love the idea of buying a token for 3 pounds that you hand into a miner as you get in the lift......... This dates back to miners going down the pit handing in their tags so that a head count could be made on coming back up.Our guide was called Derek..... Very knowledgeable and highly entertaining.Enjoyed learning about the mining traditions, the awful conditioners that while families worked in, the changes that came about through industrial revolution, the strikes and how many people have actually lost their lives mining, sad there are only 3 working mines left in this country to date.A well worth visit, every parent or school should make sure kids have a visit.

By far the best attraction. I used to work in the heritage sector in Yorkshire and I was thrilled with the atmosphere, ethos, meticulous care and passion around coal mining in the north of England and how it has been preserved at the Caphouse colliery. Just go go go ! Underground tour is brilliant and the surrounding countryside is stunning. PS I'm a Londoner- so this review is saying something ;)

Proper tour down an old Yorkshire pit, down the mine shaft & walking from the old to the new part of it. Led by local ex-miners with true Yorkshire grit and humour. 13-year-old Californian castle fan rated it as the highlight of her week in England. Some pits are warm, but this one isn't - bring a coat.

Visited with 4 kids (15x2, 8 and 5) and everyone thoroughly enjoyed this place. Free entrance to museum and £3 each for a 60-75 minute brilliant tour of the mine. Helmets on, torches in hand you go down deep into the mine on the original lift and walk through with a guide (16 in our group that I think was maximum). Our guide was Ian, an ex-miner himself and someone who is proud, passionate and very knowledgable. It simply is a must do and an experience I'd totally recommend.

As someone from a mining background living in the former South Yorkshire coalfields this is a great day out invoking memories from long ago. Visited with a seven and eight year old on a Saturday, it was surprisingly quiet with plenty of free parking. Into reception where we booked on to the next underground tour so with only half an hour to wait, (tours can be pre-booked online), we walked through the galleries into the cafe for a drink. Clean and fresh with a good selection so refreshed made our way to the entrance to be kitted out with helmet and torch, looked down the 140 metre shaft and then entered the cage for the descent handing over the tallies after having our picture took for £5 if you so wish and there's no pressure to get one, the quality is good if you do. The tallies are 'bought'' for £3 each but can be handed back at the end of the tour for a refund or kept for another visit. The visit and parking can therefore be done for free through lottery funding although few would begrudge a donation. If not, the shop will get you anyway! The tour led by former miners is fascinating looking at all aspects of life underground, including the use of children as young as 5 who worked 12 hour shifts 6 days a week. Our guide, Jed from Barnsley who spent 48 years down t'pit, held the kids in the palm of his hand keeping them fully engaged throughout including smearing their paces with coal dust much to the delight of parents! After the tour we ate in the canteen although picnic places are dotted about the grounds. Toilets are plentiful and clean after which we toured the pit top with its many exhibits including the former pit baths invoking many memories. The nature trail via the stables led to the other part of the complex, Hope Pit and then the outside play area for the kids before finishing in the shop. The best bit? The opportunity to come away with a piece of coal, strange I know but I am of a certain age... An excellent day which the 2 kids found fascinating, and all for free should you wish, a gem not too far away, a big well done to all the friendly staff.

Took our 2 teenagers to the museum and took the tour down the mine."Big Bird" our tour guide was absolutely brilliant. I'd highly recommend a trip here. At £3 per person and a coin to keep as a souvenir I'd say it's excellent value for money.

We went for a family day out to the National Coal Mining Museum having read the reviews on tripadvisor and the reviews cannot do this place justice purely because its so difficult to give a full flavour of everything it has to offer. From a well laid out nature trail where you can enjoy a family picnic through to one of the best occupational museums I've ever visited. As mentioned by others everything is free with only a small fee (currently £3 per person) for the underground tour which is a must, it takes place in part of the old colliery 140m below ground and has different areas laid out to demonstrate how coal was mined through the ages from the early 1700's upto the current day with ex-miner's acting as guide's and passing a wealth of knowledge and tale's of mining through the ages. Our guide, John was excellent with the children in the group and managed to engage with everyone from the 5 year olds (the youngest age allowed on the underground tour) through to the adults. He kept everyone enthralled with his stories and answered every question thrown at him from the technical through to where do you go the toilet during a working shift underground. Please don't forget to tip your guide they are volunteer's albeit enjoying passing on the stories and experience's of a life underground. Throughly recommended!!

we took our 6 year olds who enjoyed the tour great for all ages above 6 , rest of the museum good and area suitable for under 5's great. can fault this place going back in summer to see whats outside !i would prob book the tour if you go on a busy day / school hols, there is an optional fee of £3 per person for the tour

Clunk! Laughter filled the lift as it jolted down a few centimetres. Everyone was poking their cap lights through the metal bars to look at the wet walls as we descended down 518m for our underground tour of the National Museum of Coal Mining (NMCM). This was a highlight of the day.BJ, our tour guide, told us about his experience in the coal mines. He knew how all the machines worked and, as an ex-deputy, he could demonstrate all the jobs. The tour lasts for about an hour although it doesn't feel it! BJ was friendly and made it fun for kids and adults; he was cracking jokes throughout!Also at the NMCM, they have rooms with information about the miners' lives at home and when working. For extra information you can get an audio tour and it's free! Not far from the mine exit there is a bathhouse where miners washed and showered after a shift. The recorded conversations through speakers help visitors to picture what would have been going on. Pit ponies were commonly used in coal mines to pull the coal out and some are still kept at the museum for visitors to see (although they were never used in mines). I highly recommend the National Museum of Coal Mining. It's a great experience for the whole family. Don't forget to take a picnic to eat outside in the country park.

I could tell from the moment a group of children emerged from the mine entrance, faces smeared with coal, that this was going to be a trip down the pit like never before.Not far from Overton, The National Coal Mining Museum (NCM) is the place to go to learn about mining. With a superb underground tour around the Claphouse Colliery and an intriguing ‘1842’ mining families area, it is suitable for a visit in any weather. It also has gorgeous pit ponies (non of which have, thankfully, been down the pit), control and showering rooms as well as an information-rich visitor centre, where it takes you through the course of mining history. Our guide in the pit, BJ, was brilliant and had a large helping of mining experience – he’d worked in mines for roughly 40 years! The tour consisted of walking round abandoned mine shafts (or squeezing through tunnels for us kids!), our cap lights the only source of light chasing back the shadows. He pointed out the different jobs and work areas, the machinery and the conditions for the workers. It really makes you appreciate the things that you take for granted today, especially when you learn how the miners worked for 14 hours a day!!!For anyone in Wakefield who is unsure what to do, I would certainly recommend the NCM. It is suitable for anyone, any age, and the cheap entry fee is nothing compared to the richness of the memories of the experience you leave with. Amy, aged 11

This friendly and well laid out museum is ideal for a visit, and will certainly let you appreciate the hard work, and danger mining is. The underground mine experience (small charge) could not be better with knowledgeable ex miners guides who know the job inside out. Thank you all for a great day.Dr Malc