The Story of Scottish Coal
19/19 
Lady Victoria Colliery has now become the highly successful 'Scottish Mining Museum', and following major investment in the late 1990s, has evolved into a major tourist attraction in the area.
© Crown copyright: RCAHMS, SC894268, 1999
© Crown copyright: RCAHMS, SC894268, 1999
After the closure of Lady Victoria Colliery in 1981, the buildings were saved from destruction by groups of enthusiasts, industrial archaeologists and historians, and by the local authorities. It was subsequently converted into the Scottish Mining Museum, and now attracts over 40,000 visitors each year.
In the late 1990s, it also benefited from large heritage grants from the National Lottery and from Historic Scotland. This has permitted the restoration of some of the most important parts of the surface arrangement, and has allowed for the development of extensive interpretation and displays.
The museum has also acquired an excellent library and archive relating not only to coal mining in Scotland, but also throughout the world. Recent work by volunteers in the library has greatly assisted a project by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments, the purpose of which is to create an inventory of Scottish coal mines in the second half of the 20th century.
In the late 1990s, it also benefited from large heritage grants from the National Lottery and from Historic Scotland. This has permitted the restoration of some of the most important parts of the surface arrangement, and has allowed for the development of extensive interpretation and displays.
The museum has also acquired an excellent library and archive relating not only to coal mining in Scotland, but also throughout the world. Recent work by volunteers in the library has greatly assisted a project by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments, the purpose of which is to create an inventory of Scottish coal mines in the second half of the 20th century.