The Lancashire Mining Museum, located at Astley Green in Greater Manchester, preserves the legacy of coal mining in the region through its remarkable collection of industrial artefacts and historic structures. Its origins lie in the Astley Green Colliery, which was established in 1908 by the Pilkington Colliery Company to exploit deep coal seams beneath the Chat Moss. The site was chosen despite challenging geological conditions, including 100 feet of unstable ground, which made shaft sinking a costly and complex engineering feat.
By 1912, the No.1 shaft had reached a depth of 814 meters, and the colliery was equipped with a powerful steam winding engine and wrought iron headgear. A second shaft followed in 1919, and the colliery became part of the Manchester Collieries Consortium in 1928. At its peak, Astley Green employed around 2,000 men and played a vital role in supplying coal to the region.
A tragic chapter in the colliery’s history occurred on 7 June 1939, when an underground explosion claimed the lives of five men and injured five others. The disaster, caused by a gob fire in the Crombouke Mine, highlighted the dangers faced by miners and the bravery of those involved in rescue efforts.
Following nationalisation in 1947 under the National Coal Board, the colliery underwent modernisation. However, by 1970, it was deemed uneconomic and closed. The shafts were capped, and much of the site was cleared. Fortunately, the winding engine, headgear, and engine house were preserved, thanks to the efforts of the Red Rose Steam Society, which leased the site in the early 1980s.
In 1982, the site was formally renamed the Red Rose Steam Society Ltd and began operating as a museum. Over the following decades, volunteers worked tirelessly to restore the winding engine, which finally ran again in 2013—43 years after the pit’s closure. The engine, built by Yates & Thom of Blackburn, is the largest surviving colliery winding engine of its type in Europe, boasting four cylinders in a twin tandem compound arrangement and developing 3,300 horsepower.
The museum was officially renamed the Lancashire Mining Museum Ltd in 2022 and continues to operate as a charitable organisation. It houses the only surviving headgear on the Lancashire Coalfield, a 30-metre-high wrought iron structure built by Head Wrightson in 1910–11. This headgear is now a Grade II Scheduled Monument, though it faces significant deterioration and is listed as “at risk” by English Heritage.
Beyond its engineering marvels, the museum features a vast collection of 28 colliery locomotives—the largest of its kind in the UK—as well as mining memorabilia, steam engines, and educational exhibits. It serves as a community hub, offering insights into the lives of miners and the industrial heritage of Lancashire.
The museum’s survival depends entirely on donations and volunteer support, with no central funding. Its mission is not only to preserve the past but also to educate future generations about the region’s mining history and the resilience of its communities.
This history was generated using AI and is based on publicly available sources including the Lancashire Mining Museum and Wigan Archaeological Society.
