A former mining colliery in Blaenavon, southeastern Wales, has reopened as a tourist attraction, nearly 20 years after a strike shut it down and following a 7.1-million (US$13.3-million) facelift.
The National Mining Museum of Wales, affectionately known as “Big Pit,” is designed to educate visitors about the industry.
As a result of the redevelopment, visitors can see a new haulage house underground, as well as the fan-house on the top of the mine shaft, which regulates the air quality. The pit-head baths have also been refurbished.
The project was funded by a lottery fund, the Wales Tourist Board, a number of private trusts, and the Welsh government.
Says former miner Terry Mason, now a guide at the pit, in an interview with the BBC: “Visitors find it hard to believe I enjoyed being underground. There was a camaraderie about it, and, without being sexist, there were no women.”
Admission to Big Pit is free.
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