The National Mining Museum Scotland was created in 1984, to preserve the physical surface remains of Lady Victoria Colliery at
Newtongrange
Newtongrange () is a former mining village in Midlothian, Scotland. Known in local dialect as ''Nitten'', or ''Nitten by the Bing (mining), Bing'' (),
it became Scotland's largest mining village in the 1890s, with the sinking of the Lady Victor ...
,
Midlothian
Midlothian (; ) is registration county, lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh council ar ...
,
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. The colliery, sunk by the Lothian Coal Company in 1890, came into production in 1894. It was nationalised in 1947 with the formation of the
National Coal Board
The National Coal Board (NCB) was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the United Kingdom's collieries on "ve ...
, and had closed in 1981.
Buildings
The buildings were recognised as being of outstanding interest as they formed an almost complete survival of a major
Victorian
Victorian or Victorians may refer to:
19th century
* Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign
** Victorian architecture
** Victorian house
** Victorian decorative arts
** Victorian fashion
** Victorian literatur ...
colliery
Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extra ...
, with later additions. Some demolition, such as the 1950s canteen and medical centre, has occurred but the vast bulk of the structures stand. The winding engine is by
Grant, Ritchie and Company and the colliery headstocks were built by Arrols of
Glasgow
Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
. From 1998 onwards several of the main structures were stabilised and new visitor facilities opened.
Collections
The Museum developed collections, such as a library, and exhibitions that were housed in a visitor centre which has previously formed part of the colliery offices. The
Prestongrange
Prestongrange is a place in East Lothian, Scotland, United Kingdom, situated between Musselburgh to the west, and Prestonpans to the east.
The place name derives from "Preston", meaning "priest's town", and a Monastic grange, grange (or granary ...
beam engine
A beam engine is a type of steam engine where a pivoted overhead Beam (structure), beam is used to apply the force from a vertical piston to a vertical connecting rod. This configuration, with the engine directly driving a pump, was first used b ...
, a
Cornish engine
A Cornish engine is a type of steam engine developed in Cornwall, England, mainly for pumping water from a mine. It is a form of beam engine that uses steam at a higher pressure than the earlier engines designed by James Watt. The engines were ...
, at
Prestonpans
Prestonpans ( , Scots: ''The Pans'') is a mining town, situated approximately eight miles east of Edinburgh, Scotland, in the council area of East Lothian. The population as of is . It is near the site of the 1745 Battle of Prestonpans (first ...
,
East Lothian
East Lothian (; ; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a Counties of Scotland, historic county, registration county and Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921.
In ...
, also for a time formed part of the Museum until responsibility for it passed to
East Lothian Council
East Lothian Council is one of the 32 local government councils in Scotland covering the East Lothian area. Since the last boundary changes in 2017, 22 councillors have been elected from 6 wards.
History
East Lothian District Council had been ...
.
Recognition
The Colliery is Listed Category 'A' by
Historic Scotland
Historic Scotland () was an executive agency of the Scottish Government, executive agency of the Scottish Office and later the Scottish Government from 1991 to 2015, responsible for safeguarding Scotland's built heritage and promoting its und ...
. In 2008, to mark the 100th anniversary of the
, a drawing of Lady Victoria Colliery won an online vote as Scotland's Most Treasured place. A poem commemorating the colliery was also written.
The museum has been described as 'a national treasure where the story of coal is kept alive for present and future generations' and the entire collection is recognised as a Nationally Significant Collection
by
Museums Galleries Scotland
Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS), formerly the Scottish Museums Council, is the National Development Body for the museum sector in Scotland. It offers support to 400 museums and galleries, ranging from small local museums to larger regional and ...
on behalf of the
Scottish Government
The Scottish Government (, ) is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was formed in 1999 as the Scottish Executive following the 1997 referendum on Scottish devolution, and is headquartered at St Andrew's House in ...
.
References
External links
National Mining Museum Scotland webpage
Underground mines in Scotland
Mining museums in Scotland
Museums established in 1984
1984 establishments in Scotland
Museums in Midlothian
Category A listed buildings in Midlothian
Industrial buildings completed in 1894
1894 establishments in Scotland
Listed industrial buildings in Scotland
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