Big Pit
Situated in the old mining village of Blaenafon, Pwll Mawr or Big Pit, was once the very heartbeat of the community, now it is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site that encapsulates the mining heritage of Wales.
The coalmine at Blaenafon sinks some 300ft/90 metres below the ground hence the name Big Pit. It ran for over a century until it was closed in the 1980s along with a great many of Britain’s coalmines at the time, resulting in the
Visitors get equipped with regulation helmet, cap lamp, battery pack and ‘self rescuer’ before plunging down the 90metre shaft in the steel cage to the pit floor, with their guide who will show them around the labyrinth of mines and outline the techniques and history of mining. Each of the guides are former miners, some from Blaenafon itself and know at first hand the rituals, routines and dangers of a miners working life and are true salt of the earth men.
Sturdy footwear and an extra layer of clothing is recommended for the
‘Topside’ you’ll find the old showers and locker rooms, though thankfully no practical tours. Instead there is a poignant exhibition to some of the men who actually worked here at Big Pit down through the ages, which illustrates the unique character and camaraderie of the miners. There is also an exhibition on the highs and lows of mining history and the struggle for better working conditions and safety.
The Blaenafon Industrial Landscape that makes up the World Heritage Site also includes the 18th Century Ironworks, which had three huge coal-fired blast furnaces and was the world’s second biggest ironworks, behind nearby Cyfarthfa at Merthyr Tydfil. Blaenafon itself is part of the site, its Working Man’s Institute standing as a proud reminder of this industrial community, while the town itself is undergoing a transformation as a centre of literature with many of the shops selling second hand books.
