Welcome to the National Mining Museum, where you can learn about the fascinating history of mining in Scotland! What makes the National Mining Museum, Scotland, so special for visitors is that the guided tours are given by real-life ex-miners! The tours and exhibitions offer an insanely interesting exploration into the mining industry and its rich history.
Settle into the Lady Victoria Colliery and prepare to dig deep into the pithead, the mechanics of the winding engine, the fascinating exhibitions on mines in Scotland, and even a special recreated underground roadway.
The history of the National Mining Museum, Scotland, traces all the way back to 1895 when it was the first super-pit in Scotland, and it was used as such until as recently as 1981. Now, the preserved Lady Victoria Colliery is open for visitors, and you’ll want to shovel all these interesting collections home with you!
Details to Know About the National Mining Museum
Before you make a plan to tour the National Mining Museum of Scotland, make sure you’ve got all the details ready, from the museum’s opening times and ticket prices to transport arrangements and accessibility.
The National Mining Museum Opening Times
The Scotland Mining Museum, including the cafe and gift shop, is open every day!
In Winter, you can visit from the 1st of November to the 31st of March between 10 am and 4 pm.
In Summer, you can tour there from the 1st of April until the 31st of October, between 10 am and 5 pm.
The National Mining Museum, Scotland, is closed for Christmas and New Year’s Day.
The National Mining Museum Tickets
Exhibition entry and an ex-miner guide at the National Mining Museum, Scotland, is an exciting tour into the production of coal and the responsibility of miners. Tickets are £9.50 for adults and £7.50 for concession. It’s £3.50 for children aged 7 to 15, £21 for families of 2 adults and 2 children over 7 years old, and tickets are free for children under 7. Guided tour times are at 10 am, 12 noon, and 2 pm.
For exhibition entry and an audio tour of the Pit Head in the National Mining Museum, Scotland, it’s £8 for adults, £6 for concession, £2.50 for children, £18.90 for families, and free for children under 7. Bring headphones for the audio tour!
For entry into the exhibitions only (without a guided tour), it’s £4 for adults, £3.50 for concessions, and free for children 15 or under.
You can book online or get tickets at the door. Entry into the Green Zone is included in the ticket price!
How to Get to the National Mining Museum, Scotland
Don’t get packed to tour the Scottish Mining Museum just yet – make sure you have your transportation sorted first!
Car
The National Mining Museum, Scotland, is in Lady Victoria Colliery. Make sure to head to Newtongrange, Midlothian, and you’ll be in the right place! From Glasgow, it’s an hour along the M8, and from Edinburgh, it’s a half-hour trip along Old Dalkeith Road and the A7.
The National Mining Museum has a massive parking lot with free parking, as well as spaces for coaches and bikes.
Bus
If you’re coming in from Edinburgh City Centre, you can take a Lothian Bus (33 or 29) that’ll stop close to the National Mining Museum. If you’re coming from Scottish Borders for a visit, take one of the First Buses (95 or X95).
Rail
Newtongrange Train Station is only a five-minute walk from the National Mining Museum. You can hop on a direct train from Edinburgh Waverly, Tweedbank, Galashiels, and others!
Accessibility
There is a disabled parking space and drop-off zone at the National Mining Museum, Scotland, and a ramp to the main entrance with automatic doors. Level access is granted throughout the visitor centre, cafe, reception, and toilets, and these areas have low-level counters.
Unisex accessible toilets with an emergency alarm and baby-changing facilities are available, with disabled toilets on the ground floor and second floor.
There are lifts big enough to accommodate wheelchairs between the floors and the staircases in the building have railings on both sides. The museum is completely wheelchair-friendly (minus the Winding Engine House), and they have two wheelchairs available on the premises. There are also portable walking sticks.
You can find a hearing loop system on the exhibition floors, and guide/assistance dogs are also welcome at the National Mining Museum, Scotland.
Attractions to See at the National Mining Museum, Scotland
At the National Mining Museum, Scotland, there’s lots to see! From a real-life ex-miner guide taking you through the buildings and teaching you about mining communities to absorbing all the machinery, exploring the Pit Head and understanding the engineering brilliance of the industry. The sheer size of the museum alone will excite you, so it’s best to block out an entire day for this trip!
Permanent Exhibitions
The Story of Coal
The Story of Coal is a journey into the entire process of making coal in the Carboniferous period! In this extraordinary National Mining Museum, Scotland experience, you’ll learn all about how people extracted coal from the 13th century to today. There are interactive displays and fascinating tools to explore, too.
A Race Apart
The exhibit truly digs deep into the lives of miners and their families! You’ll find the most fascinating stories from the Royal Commission report of 1842 (which was incorporated to ban women and children from working underground in the mines), tales of hardship and coal face in the industry until the last strike, and the National Mining Museum, Scotland even has interactive exhibits in a Victorian home where the kids can dress up and play.
Temporary Exhibits
The National Mining Museum, Scotland, has many temporary exhibits going on, from workshops about cleaner energy to new collections on display. Keep an eye on their events page to stay updated!
Lady Victoria Colliery
The Lady Victoria Colliery used to be an industry super-pit in the early 19th century! Now it is the iconic grounds of the National Mining Museum, Scotland; it’s four acres big and contains all the developments in mining communities for the past few centuries, including a steam winding engine house and the only extant timber Dredger in Europe.
The National Mining Museum, Scotland, preserved the area and its artefacts, as it was an important space for processing coal.
Family Fun at the Green Zone!
Included in the ticket price for the National Mining Museum, Scotland, is access to the Green Zone, a super fun and exciting space for visitors! There are interactive displays about energy and engineering, interesting activities to light up your day, and learning opportunities available, all free for children.
More Scottish Museums to Visit
- Black Watch Museum
- Camera Obscura & World of Illusions
- Edinburgh Writers Museum
- Glasgow Science Centre
- Highland Folk Museum
- Museum of Childhood
- Museum of Edinburgh
- Museum of the Isles
- Museum on the Mound
- National Museum of Flight
- National War Museum
- People’s Palace
- Riverside Museum
- Royal Yacht Britannia
- Scottish Crannog Centre
- Scottish Maritime Museum
- Shetland Museum & Archives
- St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art
- Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life
- Surgeons’ Hall Museum
- V&A Dundee
