South Wales Miners' Museum
Encyclopedia
The South Wales Miners' Museum is a museum
of the coal mining
industry and its workforce in the South Wales coalfield
. It is located at Cynonville within the Afan Forest Park Visitor Centre in the Afan Forest Park
, near the small village of Cymmer in Port Talbot
.
, opened in June 1976. The main features of the museum at that time included a traditional Miner's Cottage scene and display cabinets containing historical photographs and documents designed to reflect the industrial heritage
of Mining in Wales
. In 1976, the museum received The Prince of Wales Award, and two years later it was highly placed in the National Heritage Museum of the Year Award. The museum was also highly commended by the British Tourist Authority in their "Come to Britain" competition. Today the museum receives about 100,000 visitors a year.
and trailer. Outdoor exhibits include a blacksmith's shop, a lamp room with Davy lamp
s, a pithead wheel, a haulage engine and coal dram.
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
of the coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. 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 extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
industry and its workforce in the South Wales coalfield
South Wales Coalfield
The South Wales Coalfield is a large region of south Wales that is rich with coal deposits, especially the South Wales Valleys.-The coalfield area:...
. It is located at Cynonville within the Afan Forest Park Visitor Centre in the Afan Forest Park
Afan Forest Park
The Afan Forest Park is a forest park in Britain. It is set in the Afan Valley in Neath Port Talbot, in south Wales. It is well-known for its mountain biking and hiking or hillwalking trails...
, near the small village of Cymmer in Port Talbot
Port Talbot
Port Talbot is a town in Neath Port Talbot, Wales. It had a population of 35,633 in 2001.-History:Port Talbot grew out of the original small port and market town of Aberafan , which belonged to the medieval Lords of Afan. The area of the parish of Margam lying on the west bank of the lower Afan...
.
History
The museum, the first of its kind in WalesWales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, opened in June 1976. The main features of the museum at that time included a traditional Miner's Cottage scene and display cabinets containing historical photographs and documents designed to reflect the industrial heritage
Industrial heritage
Industrial heritage is an aspect of cultural heritage dealing specifically with the buildings and artifacts of industry which are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations, often forming a significant attraction for tourism.The...
of Mining in Wales
Mining in Wales
Mining in Wales provided a significant source of income to the economy of Wales throughout the nineteenth century and early twentieth century....
. In 1976, the museum received The Prince of Wales Award, and two years later it was highly placed in the National Heritage Museum of the Year Award. The museum was also highly commended by the British Tourist Authority in their "Come to Britain" competition. Today the museum receives about 100,000 visitors a year.
Facilities and exhibitions
The museum, which re-opened in 2008 after rebuilding, features a recreation of a tunnel where models of children can be seen crawling though the space underground. There is also a realistic stable with a miner, his pit ponyPit pony
A pit pony was a type of pony commonly used underground in coal mines from the mid 18th up until the mid 20th century.-History:Ponies began to be used underground, often replacing child or female labour, as distances from pit head to coal face became greater...
and trailer. Outdoor exhibits include a blacksmith's shop, a lamp room with Davy lamp
Davy lamp
The Davy lamp is a safety lamp with a wick and oil vessel burning originally a heavy vegetable oil, devised in 1815 by Sir Humphry Davy. It was created for use in coal mines, allowing deep seams to be mined despite the presence of methane and other flammable gases, called firedamp or minedamp.Sir...
s, a pithead wheel, a haulage engine and coal dram.