Haig Colliery Mining Museum 11/02/14
Press release
Haig Colliery Mining Museum
At the beginning of January, Haig Colliery Mining Museum site was handed over to Thomas Armstrong Contractors to begin the redevelopment of the new visitor centre and restoration of major parts of the former Haig Pit engine house. The project has been funded by a grant of £1.4m from Heritage Lottery Fund, with the rest made up by Copeland Community Fund, Garfield Weston Foundation, Foyle Foundation, WREN, Charles Hayward Foundation, Britain’s Energy Coast, Guerney Trust, Cumbria County Council, Paul Getty Junior Foundation.
The museum closed to the public at the end of August to enable staff and volunteers to empty the building, placing the most valuable objects at Carlisle Archive and the larger pieces and props in on site storage.
The new visitor centre will be the first to be built, designed by Ian Grice at Hurd Rolland Partnerships in Manchester, it is a modern design to contrast against the old pit building, and will include a Café, shop, reception area, a multi-function room for hire/exhibitions, museum offices, decking, and external play areas. The interpretation within the visitor centre will emphasise the heritage coast and showcase the partnership Haig has with The Colourful Coast,( National Trust, RSPB, Natural England, CBC and CCC rangers)
The visitor centre will be opening to the public in mid July 2014 and will be free to enter. A developing activity programme of smaller local exhibitions, education resources and community events is planned as well as extending the volunteering and community engagement opportunities.
Pamela Telford (Manager) Said “It’s a very exciting time for us, handing over to contractors releases us up to develop what is actually going to be going on here later in the year, at last we will have the facilities to further develop Haig as a tourist attraction, community venue and a memorial to our industrial past here along the Cumberland Coalfield”
The Whitehaven Brick former engine house will host the new museum experience, which is being developed jointly by the museum staff and volunteers and Richard Fowler Associates Museum Designers. The exhibition will look at the local stories of coal mining, images, memorabilia and local coal mining characters on the first floor and on the second floor will further develop the theme of life associated with coal.
Pamela Continues “ We wanted the actual exhibition to be the local stories of coal, mining, people and places, our overall theme for the museum is Our Work, Our Lives, Our Community, so it has been very important to us in the planning that we look at what was happening here, whilst alluding to the National Picture”
Within the old building, all the windows will be restored and it will be made weatherproof, Engine Hall Number 4 will be refurbished and exhibit the large Bever Dorling Engine with some interpretation about the Bever Family and Factory.
The large central hall of the building (the powerhouse) will also be refurbished, re instating windows and putting in a new floor to enable the space to be used for any number of things including larger exhibitions, events and functions.
Haig’s iconic headgear will have some restoration work carried out, ensuring its ongoing safety and preservation.
Engine Hall Number 5 will not be touched in this phase of development.
Pamela said “We have been very fortunate to raise the amount of money that we have and for this we are very grateful to our funders, however a building like this can be a black hole as far as money is concerned so we have had to prioritise the work that is carried out to ensure the best results for the museum and the building itself, with the hope of further works in years to come. So you will still see and hear us fundraising for different projects and pieces of work, the thing with this kind of funding is that it Is reserved for particular pieces of work, and can only be used to pay for that so you never actually see it in our bank account”
As well as this work Haig is also developing a new business opportunity in the secure and confidential storage of archive documents on site. “This is a new venture we are developing, as a museum service we already have the capability and skills to document, catalogue, and archive, we have the boxes available and the racked space in on site containers” this new facility will be launched in the next couple of weeks and will provide an income stream for the museum as well as providing secure document storage space. “It is becoming an increasing requirement that companies, charities etc. have to keep original documents for many years as part of funding and loan requirements. And Haig has the space, skills and opportunity to store those records securely.”
Haig will also be developing new signage from the town, new website, new job and volunteering opportunities, outreach and loan boxes and will be attending local fairs, fetes and carnivals.
The whole site should be open in time for Christmas 2014.
Pamela Said “we are still on site and developing the future services and carrying out research and we are always looking for volunteers to help us with this, it is also a significant time for Haig as it begins its centenary in 2014 and with being named after Douglas Haig it also has links with the WW1 commemorations which is something we plan to build on in the coming couple of years”
You can follow us on
https://haigpit.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/254981372826/?fref=ts
Contact Details
E Mail root@haigpit.com
01946 599949
Note to Editors
• The Colourful Coast is the name given to the area of coastal walk from Whitehaven Harbour to St Bees, owned by Copeland Borough Council, leased by the Land Trust and managed on a day to day basis by The National Trust.
• Haig Colliery Mining Museum is a registered charity, company limited by guarantee and Accredited Museum. It has Investors in People, Excellence Through People and Quality Guild status.
• Haig Colliery Mining Museum is a Grade II listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
• Capital Funders – Heritage Lottery Fund North West, Copeland Community Fund, Garfield Weston Foundation, Foyle Foundation, WREN, Charles Hayward Foundation, Britain’s Energy Coast, Guerney Trust, Cumbria County Council, Paul Getty Junior Foundation.
• Revenue funders Copeland Community Fund.
• About Heritage Lottery Fund : Using money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) aims to make a difference to heritage, people and communities across the UK and help build a resilient heritage economy. From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, natural environment and cultural traditions, we invest in every part of our diverse heritage. HLF have supported over 36,000 projects with more than £5.9bn across the UK. http://www.hlf.org.uk
WREN is a not for profit business that awards grants to community, environmental and heritage projects across the UK from funds donated by FCC Environment as part of a voluntary environmental tax credit scheme called the Landfill Communities Fund. Since 1998, WREN has granted over £150m to more than 6,000 projects which benefit people living within 10 miles of a FCC Environment landfill site. For more information please visit http://www.wren.org.uk
Landfill Communities Fund
Any waste that is discarded which cannot be reused, reprocessed or recycled may ultimately be disposed of in a landfill site. To encourage the re-use, recycle and recovery of more value from waste and use more environmentally friendly methods of waste disposal, Landfill Tax is charged on each tonne of waste sent to landfill. Landfill Operators (LOs) are able to redirect a small proportion of landfill tax liability (currently 6.8%) to support a wide range of community and environmental projects in the vicinity of their landfill sites through the Landfill Communities Fund (LCF). The LCF is regulated by ENTRUST on behalf of HM Revenue & Customs, and the projects are delivered by enrolled Environmental bodies (EBs).
“This project has been funded by The Copeland Community Fund.
The Fund was established to recognise the unique role the Copeland community plays in hosting the national Low Level Waste Repository close to the village of Drigg. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority pay £1.5 million per year into the Fund for every year that the current operation vault receives waste: in addition to an initial endowment of £10 million. A board of directors representing Copeland Borough Council, Cumbria County Council, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and the private sector manage the fund.
For more information visit http://www.copelandcommunityfund.co.uk”
Haig Colliery Mining Museum 20/01/14
At the beginning of January Haig Colliery Mining Museum site was handed over to Thomas Armstrong Contractors to begin the redevelopment of the new visitor centre and restoration of major parts of the former Haig Pit engine house.
The museum closed to the public at the end of August to enable staff and volunteers to empty the building, placing the most valuable objects at Carlisle Archive and the larger pieces and props in on site storage.
The new visitor centre will be the first to be built, designed by Ian Grice at Hurd Rolland Partnerships in Manchester, it is a modern design to contrast against the old pit building, and will include a Café, shop, reception area, a multi-function room for hire/exhibitions, museum offices, decking, and external play areas. The interpretation within the visitor centre will emphasise the heritage coast and showcase the partnership Haig has with The Colourful Coast,( National Trust, RSPB, Natural England and CCC rangers)
The visitor centre will be opening to the public in mid July 2014 and will be free to enter. A developing activity programme of smaller local exhibitions, education resources and community events is planned as well as extending the volunteering and community engagement opportunities.
Pamela Telford (Manager) Said “It’s a very exciting time for us, handing over to contractors releases us up to develop what is actually going to be going on here later in the year, at last we will have the facilities to further develop Haig as a tourist attraction, community venue and a memorial to our industrial past here along the Cumberland Coalfield”
The Whitehaven Brick former engine house will host the new museum experience, which is being developed jointly by the museum staff and volunteers and Richard Fowler Associates Museum Designers. The exhibition will look at the local stories of coal mining, images, memorabilia and local coal mining characters on the first floor and on the second floor will further develop the theme of life associated with coal.
Pamela Continues “ We wanted the actual exhibition to be the local stories of coal, mining, people and places, our overall theme for the museum is Our Work, Our Lives, Our Community, so it has been very important to us in the planning that we look at what was happening here, whilst alluding to the National Picture”
Within the old building, all the windows will be restored and it will be made weatherproof, Engine Hall Number 4 will be refurbished and exhibit the large Bever Dorling Engine with some interpretation about the Bever Family and Factory.
The large central hall of the building (the powerhouse) will also be refurbished, re instating windows and putting in a new floor to enable the space to be used for any number of things including larger exhibitions, events and functions.
Haig’s iconic headgear will have some restoration work carried out, ensuring its ongoing safety and preservation.
Engine Hall Number 5 will not be touched in this phase of development.
Pamela said “We have been very fortunate to raise the amount of money that we have and for this we are very grateful to our funders, however a building like this can be a black hole as far as money is concerned so we have had to prioritise the work that is carried out to ensure the best results for the museum and the building itself, with the hope of further works in years to come. So you will still see and hear us fundraising for different projects and pieces of work, the thing with this kind of funding is that its reserved for particular pieces of work, and can only be used to pay for that so you never actually see it in our bank account”
As well as this work Haig is also developing a new business opportunity in the secure and confidential storage of archive documents on site. “This is a new venture we are developing, as a museum service we already have the capability and skills to document, catalogue, and archive, we have the boxes available and the racked space in on site containers” this new facility will be launched in the next couple of weeks and will provide an income stream for the museum as well as providing secure document storage space. “It is becoming an increasing requirement that companies, charities etc. have to keep original documents for many years as part of funding and loan requirements. And Haig has the space, skills and opportunity to do this.”
Haig will also be developing new signage from the town, new website, new job and volunteering opportunities, outreach and loan boxes and will be attending local fairs, fetes and carnivals.
The whole site should be open in time for Christmas 2014.
Pamela Said “we are still on site and developing the future services and carrying out research and we are always looking for volunteers to help us with this, it is also a significant time for Haig as it begins its centenary in 2014 and with being named after Douglas Haig it also has links with the WW1 commemorations which is something we plan to build on in the coming couple of years”
You can follow us on
https://haigpit.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/254981372826/?fref=ts
Contact Details
E Mail root@haigpit.com
01946 599949
10th June 2013
Haig Volunteers attend the CVS volunteers awards in Whitehaven and recieved this well done yous
14th May 2013
You can follow us on facebook @
https://www.facebook.com/groups/254981372826/?fref=ts
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July 2013
In anticipation of the start of the refurbishment works, Haig Colliery Mining Museum will be closing its doors to the public on Monday 29th July following a booked visit from Workington Rotary Club.
The museum will then be packed up and put into storage whilst a range of enabling works is carried out prior to the main construction period.
Pamela Telford Manager Said “We will still be here on site and will be decanting the collection into storage, however the museum will be closed to the public after the 29th July. So to celebrate we will be holding a family fun day on Saturday 27th July between 1 and 4pm”
It is expected that the museum will be closed for 15 months with the new visitor centre being the first to open to the public in June 2014 followed several months later with the new museum experience and refurbished powerhouse.
The Former Haig pit Engine House is a grade II listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument and the last weekend in July will be the final time to see it as it is at the moment. Pamela Continued “ The new visitor centre will contain all the modern facilities required and is of an innovative design, the powerhouse refurbishment will safeguard the old building, restoring the internal fabric and repairing external damage and windows.”
The family fun day will see lots of children’s activities and photo opportunities, with bouncy castles, face painting, a special visit from Micky and Minnie Mouse, a visit from the Fire Engine, Norah’s Ark, Balloon Modelling, Hartley’s Ice Cream and much much more.
Pamela Said “Get those cameras out and come along for one of the final museum tours as it is now, before we set off on the wonderful adventure to deliver a fabulous museum, visitor attraction and celebration of our mining heritage”
The refurbishment project is funded by Heritage Lottery Fund (NW), Copeland Community Fund, Garfield Weston, Foyle Foundation, WREN, Charles Hayward Foundation and Guerney Trust.
Haig colliery mining museum project to start
Today, the Haig Colliery Mining Museum (HCMM) announces that a £2.4million restoration project at Haig, funded largely by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), can now officially get started. Improvements will include a new visitor centre built in the museum grounds, restoration to the old colliery building – which is Grade II listed and a Scheduled Ancient Monument – to create much improved museum.
The current museum is housed in the former engine house, which still has one of the original headgear and the two original Bever Dorling Steam Winding Engines. The museum is currently owned by Haig Colliery Mining Museum Limited and is governed by a board of volunteer trustees from the local community, bringing together a wealth of experience from business, education, tourism and ex miners.
Whilst the new facility will see the retention and enhancement of the coal mining buildings and collection, the new Haig aspires to be much more of a local community focused centre able to provide jobs, volunteering opportunities, educational placements and an extensive activity programme which is creative, imaginative, accessible and affordable. It will also provide a facility for commercial storage for archived documents.
The new visitor centre will provide the modern facilities for the site, with a café, decking and play area, there will be also be an educational /meeting room and the interpretation focussing on the heritage coast from Whitehaven to St Bees, including flora, fauna and marine life. The visitor centre will be free to enter and will also act as the gateway to the new museum experience within the colliery building.
Spanning two floors and using the existing museum collection the new museum experience will very much reflect the local stories, landscape, traditions and tragedies of the West Cumberland Coalfields. Engine hall No 4 will remain intact with all the windows restored and internal decoration in keeping with the industrial feel of the building, it will interpret the Bever Dorling Engine and its history.
Haig has recently been bequeathed the workshop machinery from Mr Bever’s (the founder of the factory which produced the engines) grandson, Anthony Bever, who died last year at the age of 93, and will be included in the exhibition in this room. The central powerhouse of the building will have the external integrity restored and new flooring and windows will be put into the interior, creating a versatile space that can be used for temporary exhibitions, functions, activities, entertainment and events. The surrounding grounds will be landscaped and the mining memorial, currently in the enterprise park, will be moved to the top of No 4 shaft creating a small memorial garden.
Although Haig will be closed for approx. 18 months, the current museum team will still be active in the community and provide educational and outreach work, carrying out research and working with the project team ensuring that the information and interpretation is accurate.
The funding partners for this project are Heritage Lottery Fund, Copeland Community Fund, Garfield Weston Foundation, Foyle Foundation, Charles Hayward Foundation, WREN, and The Gurney Charitable Trust
“The Museum is extremely grateful for the support received from the Heritage Lottery Fund which will now enable us to embark on our long awaited Powerhouse development, incorporating new visitor facilities and a refurbished building. The proposals are designed for both local people interested in their coal mining heritage and visitors tothe area. The Haig development will contribute to the development of modern visitor facilities in Whitehaven. The grants received for this development, from a variety of sources, including our main funder, the Heritage Lottery Fund, comprise a total of £2.4m and show, particularly at a national level the value of the Powerhouse, it’s contents and history.”
Bob Metcalfe Chair
“ I am absolutely delighted and can’t quite believe it, I’ve know for
a few weeks but couldn’t say anything until the paper work was
complete, this means so much to everyone here at Haig, the support and
commitment we have received is staggering but reflects a shared belief
in the importance of our coal mining heritage and how it shaped our
community.
I particularly want to thank The Copeland Community Fund who have
supported us financially over the last few years and enable us to get
to this point. And to all our volunteers, staff, and supporters I am
so proud of your foresight, dedication and perseverance, thank you
We are all very excited about getting started”
Pamela Telford Manager
- Using money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) aims to make a lasting difference for heritage, people and communities across the UK and help build a resilient heritage economy. From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, natural environment and cultural traditions, we invest in every part of our diverse heritage. HLF has supported almost 35,000 projects with more than £5.3bn across the UK. www.hlf.org.uk.
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WEEK 22ND JULY 2012
This new page has just been set up to keep everyone up to date with the happenings at Haig, over the next few weeks new pages will also be added, if you have any ideas or suggestions please contact us: root@haigpit.com.
This week Haig Colliery Mining Museum have been awarded full museum accreditation from Arts Council England
Manager Pamela Telford has become a qualified Arts Advisor for Discover/Explore Arts Awards
Volunteers Andy Ainsworth and Michelle Bowe have qualified with Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector
Haig Pit Mining And Colliery Museum. 
Thank you, its on our where can you find us page we are currently open daily between 10am and 4pm
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