Mining museum in £1.6m grant win

The colliery closed in 1986

A Cumbria mining museum, which at one time was threatened with closure, has received almost £1.6m in grants.

The Haig Colliery Mining Museum in Whitehaven will use the Heritage Lottery Fund cash to restore the site and allow access to collections.

In 1993 the struggling museum was bought by campaigners for £1 and 10 years later hit by an asbestos scare.

The cash award is part of a major scheme by lottery bosses to support mining heritage projects.

Sara Hilton, Heritage Lottery Fund manager for the North West, said: "Once a pivotal part of the UK's industry, mining is a deep rooted part of our shared heritage.

'Vibrant facility'

"Yet today, new generations are growing up in mining areas where the industry on which their communities were founded has disappeared."

Museum chair Bob Metcalf added: "This is the first stage in creating a meaningful and vibrant facility for the local community which will reflect the historic importance of the coal mining industry in West Cumbria."

Coal mining in Whitehaven dates back to the 13th Century, when the monks from St Bees Abbey supervised the opening of coal mines at Arrowthwaite.

The industry thrived and Haig Pit opened in the early 1900s. Its closure in 1986 marked the end of an industrial era and brought a devastating loss of 3,500 jobs.

Today the Grade II listed museum building and pit head gear is one of three Scheduled Ancient Monuments on the headland above Whitehaven harbour.