Staffordshire miners returned to Foxfield Colliery on Sunday, May 28 thanks to a £10,000
makeover grant-funded by the Association of Independent Museums and the Heritage Lottery Fund – enabling it to reopen for guided tours once a month.
The colliery last saw regular visitors in 2019, and was only open on gala days and by special request. Work has taken place to refurbish the visitor centre, including new displays, a handling collection, and step-free access. The Paint Store Cafe has also been revamped, and new displays are being curated at the colliery itself, creating an exhibition space, with maintenance work being undertaken on the unique concrete headstocks.
A steady stream of visitors were welcomed throughout May 28 for guided tours, with a chance to enjoy the new exhibitions and tasty treats in the cafe. Among the visitors were a group of former miners who had worked at Florence Colliery and Wolstanton Colliery, as well as relatives of those who worked at Foxfield.
Foxfield Railway Museum manager Anthony Dawson said “It is fantastic to see life breathed into the colliery thanks to AIM and the Heritage Lottery Fund, which means we can open once a month rather than just once a year for galas or other special events. I’m immensely proud of what the museum team has achieved in such a short time, and our visitors went away smiling and happy. We hope to build on the success and keep developing the colliery as a visitor attraction. Next on the cards is an ‘Overground Underground’
experience so visitors get a sense of what it would have been like to work underground.”
The Foxfield Colliery is open for guided tours once a month until October. Access is by
road, with car parking available at the colliery site.
Advert
