Haig Colliery Mining Museum

Haig Pit Museum

Useful Information

Location:	Solway Rd, Kells, Whitehaven, Cumbria. CA28 9BG. Follow signs from Whitehaven town centre. ()
Open:	closed. [2026]
Fee:	closed. [2026]
Classification:	Coal Mine
Light:	Electric Light
Dimension:	D=366 m.
Guided tours:
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Haig Colliery Mining Museum, Solway Road, Kells, Whitehaven, Cumbria CA28 9BG, Tel: +44-1946-599949.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1914	first shaft sunk.
1922	39 miners killed in an accident.
1927	4 miners killed in an accident.
1928	13 miners killed in an accident.
1931	27 miners killed in an accident.
1939	one of the fastest man-riders, with a 350hp mechanism, was installed.
27-MAR-1986	colliery closed.
1999	opened as a Mining Museum.
2002	restauration of the colliery.
2008	site transferred to the Land Trust.
2013	Lottery Fund grants the site GBP 1.7 million.
2014	closed for restauration.
2016	museum closed due to insolvency.

Geology

The West Cumberland Coalfield extends along the coast from Whitehaven to Maryport. The seams extend abot 23 km long and up to 10 km wide. A large part lies under the sea, at Whitehaven it extends more than 6 km under the sea. The coal has seven main coal seams, between 60 cm and 1.8 m thick. The thickest seam named Main Prior is the one in the middle.

Description

This site is a sad story of a failing museum, a typical thing, as visitor numbers dwindle in most such institutions since the 1990s. Actually people were quite optimistic, the site was independent and volunteer-led, and basically managed the winding engine house with two massive steam winding engines. One even had been returned to working order. Then in 2013 the Lottery Fund granted the site GBP 1.7 million. They closed for repairs in 2014, and refurbished the site GBP 2.4 million, then reopened in February 2015. Its unclear why the got financial problems, probably spent too much for renovation or miscalculated something. So they actually did not close due to a lack of visitors, the anticipated visitor number of 15,000/a were exceeded. The site closed in 2016 and never reopened.

As far as we know the winding engine house and the headframe are still protected buildings and are simply not used in the moment. It’s possible to visit the site and the headframe from outside for free, but the museum and the engine are not accessible. The site with numerous buildings and some newly erected ones is now used but about half a dozen shops and West Cumbria Mining, who plan to mine coal off the coast. So if you are in the area its worth to make a stop to see the "open air museum" and the spectacular coast.

Haig Colliery was named after General, Sir Douglas Haig, Commander in Chief of the British Forces. It was the last deep mine to work in the Cumberland Coalfield. The shafts sunk between 1914 and 1918 by the Whitehaven Colliery Company Limited, were 366 m deep. Drivages extended out from the shafts under the Irish Sea to access the Upper Metal Band coal seam. In 1980 the mine employed 938 men and produced 372,800 tonnes of coal. The colliery officially closed on the 27th March 1986.

Most of the site was demolished but the headgear and winding engine were saved and the site given listed building status in 1987. The Haig Colliery Restoration Group, consisting of totally independent volunteers, have taken freehold ownership of the site and propose to restore the building to its former glory, along with the two unique Bever Dorling steam winding engines. The ultimate aim of the project is to create a Heritage Centre depicting the coal mining history of Cumbria.

Text by Tony Oldham (2001). With kind permission.