Lancashire Mining Museum CIO — Attraction in Wigan

The Astley Green Colliery Museum is a museum run by the Red Rose Steam Society in Astley near Tyldesley in Greater Manchester, England. (grid reference SJ70509996) Before becoming a museum, the site was a working colliery that produced coal from 1912 to 1970; it is now protected as a Scheduled Monument. The museum occupies a 15-acre (6 ha) site by the Bridgewater Canal which has the only surviving pit headgear and engine house on the Lancashire Coalfield.

Astley Green Colliery exploited deep coal seams of the Manchester Coalfield underneath the peat bog known as Chat Moss, and was driven by the high demand for coal during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and the exhaustion of supplies of coal in the Irwell Valley. Shaft sinking began in 1908 by the Pilkington Colliery Company, a subsidiary of the Clifton and Kersley Coal Company, and the pit began production in 1912. In 1928 the colliery was amalgamated with other local collieries to form Manchester Collieries. The mine was modernised when the coal industry was nationalised in 1947. Astley Green Colliery was closed in 1970 and was subsequently opened to the public as a museum.

Astley Green Colliery has the only surviving headgear and engine house on what was the Lancashire coalfield. The headgear is made from wrought iron lattice girders with rivetted plates at the joints. It has two large and one small wheel mounted at the top. It is nearly 30 metres (98 ft) high and was built by Head Wrightson of Stockton-on-Tees and completed by 1912. In the winding house there is a twin tandem compound steam engine made by Yates and Thom of Blackburn who supplied 16 Lancashire boilers. Its engine house has the largest steam winding engine used on the coalfield. The 3,300 horse power twin tandem compound engine was built by Yates & Thom in Blackburn.

The museum also has a collection of 28 colliery locomotives, the largest such collection in the UK.

As of Summer 2019, a roughly 200m section of track has been restored and built by volunteers. One locomotive is currently operational with another due to under essential maintenance, before passenger services can start on...

We went to the annual steam fair as a Family (mum, sister, brother and nephews and niece). This is not a massive museum and I was sort of expecting it to be an hour or so and then everyone would want to go home. I was seriously wrong with that assumption. The steam fair was absolutely fantastic and the credit for this is 100% down to all the volunteers at the museum and the amazing event they put on (along with all the exhibitors). They had enough historic vehicles at the show for it to be interesting and the exhibitors were all super friendly. The two gentlemen who had the orange steam truck were absolutely fantastic, they literally spent all day giving people free rides on the truck (you made the day for my nephew and niece so if you ever read this then thank you).

Like I said they did not have a massive amount of vintage vehicles (compared to the major events like the Dorset steam fair) but what totally knocked it out of the park was the volunteers. They absolutely bent over backwards to make this event a hit. We ended up spending more money than we had planned but we did so enjoying every minute of spending it. Tea and Coffee were just £1, crisps were £0.40, a chocolate bar was £0.50 and a Pint was £3. Oh and let's not forget that an ice cream cone was only £1. It felt like going back to the late 80s or early 90s, back when it was fun to go to events like this. This event was FANTASTIC value for money.

Everyone already is looking forward to going again next year. Keep up the good work and to any volunteers that read it thanks for making the day such a...

I went along to the museum to see the steam traction engine rally on the weekend of 15th May. The parking was well organised and there was ample space. A large field was used as the car park and the dry conditions that day allowed for any vehicle to be parked up. Motorcyclists please take a stand support to ensure stability on the turf. On the day, which was well attended, there were refreshments and meals available. Bear in mind that supplies of the ever popular bacon rolls can run out around lunchtime. There is a small gauge railway on site which carried adults as well as children on a trip around the grounds, which are extensive. The train was steam hauled. Most of the visit was spent admiring the traction engines, but I also dropped in to the permanent displays of a miner's cottage and the pithead wheelhouse. Both excellent. Be aware that the winding engine house is accessed and exited via fire escape style staircases which some visitors may find off-putting. The staff are voluntiers and did a first class job. They were very welcoming and knowledgeable. Only too pleased to answer visitors' questions. All in all a good day at a location I would definitely recommend for a...