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Coalville Mining Tours at Snibston Colliery Park Are Growing in Popularity Says Heritage Trust

 

 

September 5, 2022 - Snibston Colliery Park is celebrating the runaway success of its mining history tours.

Between May and August this year, over 600 people experienced a Snibston Colliery tour.

The tours, organised by the Snibston Heritage Trust in collaboration with Leicestershire County Council were launched in the Spring as part of the ongoing development and public access of Snibston Colliery Park.

The tours are led by former miners who take the visitors around the colliery buildings and tell the story of coal miners in the 1960s through to the 80s - and the history of Snibston Colliery, told through living history re-enactors.

Bryan Hallam, trustee and colliery guide is bowled over by the success of the tours and the demand for mining history.

He said: "Since April we have given 10 tours of the colliery, which last about 90 minutes, and every tour has been fully booked.

Image: Snibston Heritage Trust
Image: Snibston Heritage Trust

 

"The people who have visited are a mix of former miners, descendants of local miners, people who have moved into the area, and most importantly children.

"The tours are a mix of history, humour and tragedy and takes in the control room, lamp room, medical centre, No. 2 pit top, winding house, and powder store - we tell our story of what it was like to be a coal miner before the end

of the industry."

 

The mining history tours are proving popular

 

The tours have shown that there is a great deal of interest in the local mining heritage and the Snibston Heritage Trust and Leicestershire County Council say they are proud to be able to maintain the heritage and make it accessible to the public.

The ongoing demand for tours of the colliery have led to the Snibston Heritage Trust establishing a programme of autumn and winter tours for 2022 which are on the following weekends.

• September – Sunday 11th and Saturday 24th

• October – Sunday 9th and Saturday 22nd

• November – Saturday 12th and Sunday 27 th

• December 17th which will be 'A Coalminers Christmas' theme

The tours times are 11.00, 12.45 and 14.30. Tickets are adults £2.50 and children under 16 free but must be accompanied by an adult.

Tickets can be bought via 'Eventbrite A Coal Miner's Story', or on the day subject to availability (pre-booking is advised). All the tours start at the Colliery Café and involve some steps and sensible shoes are recommended.

Dr Terri Eynon, Chair of the Snibston Heritage Trust said: "We are very proud of being able to open the colliery to the public and are grateful to Leicestershire County Council for their support.

"The tours and site are maintained by a dedicated team of volunteers who meet every Monday morning, and we are always keen to recruit new volunteers".

For further information about the tours or volunteering at Snibston contact Stuart warburton (Secretary to the Trust) on stuart.warburton@outlook.com telephone 01530 833521 or 07709957921.