Underground Tours
Journey 140m underground and discover 180 years of history with one of our charismatic former miners.
Please note that we are set to temporarily pause our iconic Underground Tours, from Sunday 29 December until April 2025, to install a brand new winding engine. The Museum will remain open with a brand-new digital immersive experience launching in January 2025.
Every tour ‘darn pit’ is led by an ex-miner with a ‘reyt’ broad accent and loads of experience under his somewhat heavy tool belt. He’ll unhand you of your ‘contraband’, and talk you through 180 years of mining, explaining why he has every right to tell you to ‘shut tha’ trap’ and when you are ‘done and dusted’ you can carry on exploring life above ground.
- Get kitted out with your hard hat and battery lamp then step into the ‘cage’ to descend
140m underground to discover the harsh realities of coal mining through the centuries. - Our tours are led by our captivating Mine Guides. Hear all about your guide’s working life and experiences in the coal mine.
- Discover the different ages of mining, from Victorian times when women and children worked underground alongside men, find out about the role of pit ponies and how modern machinery changed coal mining.
- To understand more about the Underground Tours please visit our FAQs page.
For safety, we have the following measures in place:
- Underground tours are only available for children 5 and over. Anyone under the age of 5 is NOT allowed underground.
- Party sizes will be limited to 15 visitors per tour. Please note, you may be on a tour with people outside of your household/group.
- Warm clothing and sensible footwear are recommended.
Book Now
We recommend pre-booking your Underground Tour online, to avoid disappointment.
There are on-the-day bookings, but these will sell-out so we advise arriving early to guarantee your space on a tour.
When booking the Underground Tour you’ll get a traditional miner’s ‘check’ and be asked for a £7.50 donation. After your tour you can keep the check and donate the £7.50 to help us keep the mine running, or you can return it. If you are a UK taxpayer, please help us further by Gift Aiding.
Please note that even if you pre-book online, you will still need to report into Reception upon arrival to be issued your timed miners ‘check’. We cannot admit you underground without this.