Guided by former miners, visitors descend 300 feet to the very depths of a real coal mine at Big Pit, one of only three preserved deep coal mines in Europe, and experience for themselves the hidden world of the miner. Above ground all of the colliery buildings, including the pithead baths, the winding engine house and blacksmiths workshop have been sensitively restored and brought back to life with the sounds of the miners at work echoing from the past. Wales was the birthplace of the modern industrial

world, and it's here on the surface of the museum that exciting new exhibitions and displays tell the incredible story. You can catch a glimpse of this in the Mining Galleries, where you get a chance to experience the sights and sounds of a modern coalface with the help of a 'virtual' miner guide.

Big Pit, one of six museums operated by the National Museums & Galleries of Wales, reopened in February 2004 following a £7.1 million redevelopment, funded principally by the Heritage Lottery Fund, with additional money from the Wales Tourist Board and Local Regeneration Fund, the Coalfield Regeneration Trust and a number of private trusts and funds. Thirteen new jobs were created, bringing full time staff levels to 63. The National Museums & Galleries of Wales offer free entry to all visitors thanks to the generous support of the Welsh Assembly Government. The redevelopment of Big Pit forms part of NMGW's industrial strategy, an ongoing project to better interpret Wales' foremost industries: coal, slate, wool and culminates in the National Waterfront Museum Swansea, to be opened during 2005.

Following its official reopening, Big Pit celebrated its best season ever, with visitor figures increased by 25% to over 141,000.

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